Potential Natural Vegetation of Eastern Africa (Ethiopia...

R. Kindt, P. van Breugel, J.-P. B. Lillesø, M. Bingham, Sebsebe Demissew,

C. Dudley, I. Friis, F. Gachathi, J. Kalema, F. Mbago, V. Minani, H.N. Moshi,

J. Mulumba, M. Namaganda, H.J. Ndangalasi, C.K. Ruffo, R. Jamnadass and

L. Graudal

FOREST & LANDSCAPE WORKING PAPERS 64 / 2011

Potential Natural Vegetation of Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia)

VOLUME 4

Description and Tree Species Composition for Bushland and Thicket Potential Natural Vegetation Types

Title

Potential natural vegetation of eastern Africa. Volume 4: Description

and tree species composition for bushland and thicket potential natural

vegetation types

Authors

Kindt, R., van Breugel, P., Lillesø, J.-P. B., Bingham, M., Sebsebe De-

missew, Dudley, C., Friis, I., Gachathi, F., Kalema, J., Mbago, F., Mi-

nani, V., Moshi, H. N., Mulumba, J., Namaganda, M., Ndangalasi, H.J.,

Ruffo, C. K., Jamnadass, R. and Graudal, L.

Collaborating Partner

World Agroforestry Centre

Publisher

Forest & Landscape Denmark

University of Copenhagen

23 Rolighedsvej

DK-1958 Frederiksberg

[email protected]

+45-33351500

Series - title and no.

Forest & Landscape Working Paper 64-2011

ISBN

ISBN 978-87-7903-553-9

Layout

Melita Jørgensen

Citation

Kindt, R., van Breugel, P., Lillesø, J.-P. B., Bingham, M., Sebsebe De-

missew, Dudley, C., Friis, I., Gachathi, F., Kalema, J., Mbago, F., Mi-

nani, V., Moshi, H. N., Mulumba, J., Namaganda, M., Ndangalasi, H.J.,

Ruffo, C. K., Jamnadass, R. and Graudal, L. 2011 Potential natural

vegetation of eastern Africa. Volume 4: Description and tree species

composition for bushland and thicket potential natural vegetation

types. Forest & Landscape Working Paper 64-2011

Citation allowed with clear source indication

All rights reserved. This work is subject to copyright under the provi-

sions of the Danish Copyright Law and the Grant Agreement with the

Rockefeller Foundation. The Forest & Landscape Working Papers 61-

65 and 68-69 is a series serving documentation of the VECEA work,

which will be followed by a number of formal publications. The use

of the map is encouraged. Applications for permission to reproduce

or disseminate FLD copyright materials and all other queries on rights

should be addressed to FLD. FLD and ICRAF welcome collaboration on

further development of the map and utilities from it based on the here

published documention of VECEA as well as additional unpublished

material.

The report is available electronically from

www.sl.life.ku.dk

i

Introduction

This book represents Volume 4 in a seven-volume series that documents the potential natural vegetation map that was developed by the VECEA (Vegetation and Climate change in East Africa) project. The VECEA map was developed as a collaborative effort that included partners from each of the seven VECEA countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).

• In Volume 1, we present the potential natural vegetation map that we developed for seven countries in eastern Africa. In Volume 1, we also introduce the concept of potential natural vegetation and give an overview of different application domains of the VECEA map.

• Volumes 2 to 5 describe potential natural vegetation types, also in-cluding lists of the “useful tree species” that are expected to natural-ly occur in each vegetation type – and therefore also expected to be adapted to the environmental conditions where the vegetation types are depicted to occur on the map. Volume 2 focuses on forest and scrub forest vegetation types. Volume 3 focuses on woodland and wooded grassland vegetation types. Volume 4 focuses on bushland and thicket vegetation types. In Volume 5, information is given for vegetation types that did not feature in Volumes 2 to 4.

• Volume 6 gives details about the process that we followed in mak-ing the VECEA map.

• Volume 7 shows the results of modelling the distribution of poten-tial natural vegetation types for six potential future climates.

ii

AcknowledgementsWe are extremely grateful to the Rockefeller Foundation for having funded most of the work that has led to the development and publication of the VECEA map and its accompanying documentation.

We also greatly appreciate the comments and suggestions that were made by Paul Smith and Jonathan Timberlake (both of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew) when they reviewed early drafts of volumes 2, 3, 4 & 5.

Thanks to anybody in our institutions who contributed directly or indirectly to the completion of the VECEA vegetation map and its associated docu-mentation. We especially appreciate the assistance by Nelly Mutio (as for organizing logistics for the regional workshop that we organized in 2009 and for assisting in administrative issues), Melita Jørgensen (for desktop publishing), and of Jeanette van der Steeg for helping with the final prepara-tion of the maps for Volume 1.

Thanks to Ann Verdoodt and Eric Van Ranst (both from the University of Ghent) for compiling and sharing thematic soil maps that were derived from the soil of Rwanda (Birasa, E.C., Bizimana, I., Bouckaert, W., Gallez, A., Maesschalck, G., and Vercruysse, J. (1992). Carte Pédologique du Rwan-da. Echelle: 1/250.000. Réalisée dans le cadre du projet “Carte Pédologique du Rwanda” (AGCD, CTB). AGCD (Belgique) et MINAGRI, Kigali).

Thanks to Eugene Kayijamahe, Center for Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing at National University of Rwanda for sharing the dig-ital map “Vegetation of Volcanoes National Park” that allowed us to classify in greater detail this part of the VECEA map.

Thanks to UNEP-GEF for funding the Carbon Benefits Project (CBP) through which information was compiled on indicator and characteristic species for The Vegetation Map of Africa (White 1983). (This work led to the publication in 2011 of an Africa-wide tree species selection tool that is available from: http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/our_products/databases/ useful-tree-species-africa) Thanks to BMZ for funding the ReACCT project in Tanzania through which funding was made available for field verification of the VECEA map around Morogoro (this was essential in preparing the VECEA map as the base map for Tanzania was essentially a physiognomic map.

iii

Abbreviation Full

A Afroalpine vegetation

B Afromontane bamboo

Bd Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket

Be Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket

bi (no capital) Itigi thicket (edaphic vegetation type)

br (no capital)Riverine thicket (edaphic vegetation type, mapped together with riverine for-

est and woodland)

CIn species composition tables: we have information that this species is a char-

acteristic (typical) species in a national manifestation of the vegetation type

D Desert

DBH diameter at breast height (1.3 m)

E Montane Ericaceous belt (easily identifiable type)

f (no capital)

In species composition tables: since this species is present in the focal country

and since it was documented to occur in the same vegetation type in some

other VECEA countries, this species potentially occurs in the national mani-

festation of the vegetation type

Fa Afromontane rain forest

FbAfromontane undifferentiated forest (Fbu) mapped together with Afromon-

tane single-dominant Juniperus procera forest (Fbj)Fc Afromontane single-dominant Widdringtonia whytei forest fc (no capital) Zanzibar-Inhambane scrub forest on coral rag (edaphic forest type)Fd Afromontane single-dominant Hagenia abyssinica forestFe Afromontane moist transitional forest

fe (no capital)Lake Victoria Euphorbia dawei scrub forest (edaphic forest type mapped

together with evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket)FeE distinct subtype of Afromontane moist transitional forest in EthiopiaFeK distinct subtype of Afromontane moist transitional forest in KenyaFf Lake Victoria transitional rain forestFg Zanzibar-Inhambane transitional rain forestFh Afromontane dry transitional forest

Fi Lake Victoria drier peripheral semi-evergreen Guineo-Congolian rain forest

FLD Forest & Landscape (URL http://sl.life.ku.dk/English.aspx)Fm Zambezian dry evergreen forest Fn Zambezian dry deciduous forest and scrub forest Fo Zanzibar-Inhambane lowland rain forestFp Zanzibar-Inhambane undifferentiated forestFq Zanzibar-Inhambane scrub forest

fr (no capital)Riverine forests (edaphic forest type mapped together with riverine woodland

and thicket)

FsSomalia-Masai scrub forest (mapped together with evergreen and semi-

evergreen bushland and thicket)fs (no capital) Swamp forest (fs, edaphic forest type)G Grassland (excluding semi-desert grassland and edaphic grassland)

g (no capital)Edaphic grassland on drainage-impeded or seasonally flooded soils (edaphic

vegetation type)gv Edaphic grassland on volcanic soils (edaphic subtype)ICRAF World Agroforestry Centre (URL http://www.worldagroforestry.org/)L Lowland bambooM MangroveP Palm wooded grassland (physiognomically easily recognized type)PROTA Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (URL http://www.prota.org/)S Somalia-Masai semi-desert grassland and shrubland

Abbreviations

iv

s (no capital) Vegetation of sands (edaphic type)

TTermitaria vegetation (easily identifiable and edaphic type, including bush groups

around termitaria within grassy drainage zones)UNEP United Nations Environment Programme (URL http://www.unep.org/)

VECEAVegetation and Climate Change in Eastern Africa project (funded by the Rock-

efeller Foundation)Wb Vitellaria wooded grasslandWc Combretum wooded grasslandWcd dry Combretum wooded grassland subtypeWcm moist Combretum wooded grassland subtypeWCMC World Conservation Monitoring Centre (URL http://www.unep-wcmc.org/)

wd (no capital)Edaphic wooded grassland on drainage-impeded or seasonally flooded soils (edaphic

vegetation type)We Biotic Acacia wooded grasslandWk Kalahari woodlandWm Miombo woodlandWmd Drier miombo woodland subtypeWmr Miombo on hills and rocky outcrops subtypeWmw Wetter miombo woodland subtype

Wnnorth Zambezian undifferentiated woodland and wooded grassland (abbrevia-

tion: undifferentiated woodland)Wo Mopane woodland and scrub woodland

wr (no capital)Riverine woodland (edaphic vegetation type, mapped together with riverine

forest and thicket)Wt Terminalia sericea woodland

WvsVitex - Phyllanthus - Shikariopsis (Sapium) - Terminalia woodland (not de-

scribed regionally)Wvt Terminalia glaucescens woodland (not described regionally)Wy Chipya woodland and wooded grasslandX Fresh-water swamp

x (no capital)In species composition tables: we have information that this species is present

in a national manifestation of the vegetation typeZ Halophytic vegetationZI Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal mosaic (Kenya and Tanzania coast)

v

ContentsIntroduction iAcknowledgements iAbbreviations iii

1. Definition of bushlands and thickets 12. Methodology 3

2.1. Main description of a bushland or thicket type 3

2.2. Information for the VECEA region 3

2.3. Information on species assemblages for a particular bushland or thicket type 4

2.4. Information on the distribution of altitude, rainfall and temperature for each bushland and thicket type 6

3. Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket (Bd) 7

3.1. Description 7

3.2. VECEA region 14

3.3. Species composition 19

4. Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket (synonym: evergreen bushland, Be) 29

4.1. Description 29



5. Itigi thicket (edaphic vegetation type, bi) 46

5.1. Description 46



6. Riverine thicket (edaphic vegetation type, br) 55

6.1. Description 55

6.2. Description 55


7. Montane Ericaceous belt (easily identifiable type, E) 56

7.1. Description 56



8. Termitaria vegetation (easily identifiable and edaphic type, including bush groups around termitaria within grassy drain age zones, T) 66

8.1. Description 66



9. Zambezian rupicolous bushland and thicket (edaphic vegetation type, not mapped) 74

vi

9.1. Description 74



References 76Appendices 81

Appendix 1. Information on useful tree species 81

Appendix 2. Information on synonyms. 88

Appendix 3. Information on botanical families 92

1

1. Definition of bushlands and thickets

Bushlands are open stands of bushes (usually between 3 and 7 m tall) with a canopy cover of 40 percent or more. Thickets are closed stands of bushes (usually between 3 and 7 m tall) where the bushes are so densely interlaced that they are impenetrable - except along tracks made by animals. In most types of bushland, larger or smaller patches of thicket occur with-out significant changes in species composition. Bushlands and thickets have smaller height than woodlands that are defined as open stands of trees of at least 8 m tall with a canopy cover of 40 percent or more. Bushlands and thickets are taller than shrublands defined as open or closed stands of shrubs up to 2 m tall (White 1983 p. 46).

Bushlands and thickets have greater canopy cover than wooded grasslands which are defined by cover percentages of woody plants (including trees, bushes, dwarf trees, shrubs or palm trees) of 10 to 40 percent (White 1983 pp. 46 and 49). Where bushes occur in a continuous sward of grasses, this vegetation type could be described as “bushed grassland”. However, White (1983) included bushed grassland in the more general physiognomic type of wooded grasslands. Where cover percentages of bushes are less than 40 percent but grasses are sparse (such as rocky or stony places that are unsuit-able for grasses), it is inappropriate to use the physiognomic category of “bushed grassland” or “wooded grassland”. In these situations, it is more appropriate to classify these vegetation types as “open bushlands” (White 1983 pp. 46 and 49; see also the description of Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commi-phora deciduous bushland [Bd]).

In the VECEA map, we follow White (1983) in not classifying bamboo (B and L in the VECEA map) as a subtype of thickets, but as a distinct physiognomic category (i.e. classified as one of the other vegetation types described in volume 5).

2

Figure 1. Height and cover percentage limits for major physiognomic types. Bushed grasslands is

a subtype of wooded grassland. Open bushlands (not shown) has cover percentages below 40%

but grass cover is not sufficient to classify as a subtype of wooded grassland.

3

2. Methodology

2.1. Main description of a bushland or thicket type

In these sections, we relied heavily on The Vegetation of Africa (White 1983) - especially since this reference built on the extensive expertise that White (1983) and his co-authors obtained from literature (including 2400 refer-ences) and field work (including the experience from many reviewers [White 1983 p. 13]). By comparing species composition described at national (or subnational levels) with species composition described at a continental level, we were seeking to identify potential natural vegetation types of continen-tal relevance that included the various national “manifestations” of these continental vegetation types. Moreover, we now expect to have set the stage for a potential further expansion of the VECEA map in other countries in Africa. Within the structure of this volume, the first section (“descrip-tion”) within the description of a particular bushland or thicket type refers to the “regional information” that was mainly obtained from “The Vegetation of Africa” (White 1983).

2.2. Information for the VECEA region

Other than key reference on The Vegetation of Africa (White 1983), we mainly consulted the references that were directly associated with the base maps that we used: Ethiopia, Kenya (two different maps), Rwanda (Bloesch et al. [2009] contains an updated version of the vegetation map prepared by Prioul [1981]; the latter is the vegetation map that we digitized (see volume 6), Uganda and Zambia. For two countries, information was limited and we therefore reverted to various other references: Malawi and Tanzania. Within the structure of this volume, the second section (“VECEA region”) within the description of a particular bushland or thicket type refers to information that was obtained from one of the national descrip-tions of the seven VECEA countries.

The second section also explains the correspondence between the mapping units of the regional map (the VECEA map) and the na-tional maps. For more details how the regional map was obtained from the national maps, see volume 6.

4

2.3. Information on species assemblages for a particular bushland or thicket type

For each of the bushland types, we obtained information on species as-semblages (those tree species expected to occur in a particular bushland or thicket) based on information that was provided in the national references. For each of the countries where we had information on the national “mani-festation” of a bushland type (for example, Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commipho-ra bushland and thicket as it was described for Ethiopia by Friis et al. 2010), we created a separate column within which we gave an indication that a particular tree species was expected to occur within that bushland type and within that country.

Where species were not listed in the national reference for a focal country, we checked with information on national lists of all the tree species that oc-cur in the focal country (1) whether the species could potentially occur in the focal bushland type and focal country because the species was docu-mented to occur in the same bushland type in other countries. For example, the species Acacia brevispica was documented to occur in Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket in the national ref-erences from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. From the UNEP-WCMC spe-cies database and the Flora of Tropical East Africa, there was information that this species also occurs in Tanzania. This led us to indicate that there was information that the species potentially occurred in Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket in Tanzania (we used the coding of “f ” in the species assemblage table to indicate this). Note that it is possible that species indicated with “f ” for a particular country and bushland type do NOT occur in that particular country and bushland type in reality (meaning that, in reality, differences exist between spe-cies assemblages of the same bushland type between countries – or possibly indicating errors in the obtained species assemblage for a particular country).

We used a consistent naming system for all the species that were listed in this volume. Information on synonyms (see Appendix 2) was mainly ob-tained from the African Plants Database (URL http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa), whereas we generally attempted to use the same botanical names as adopted in the Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) data-base (URL http://www.prota4u.org/). Generally we did not differentiate below the species level. Even though the type species of the Acacia genus has re-cently been modified to be an Australian species (previously the type species was Acacia nilotica), we will continue to use the name of Acacia (in its widest sense, i.e. combining Senegalia and Vachellia) in Africa.

After compiling information on species assemblages, we selected a subset of tree species to feature in species composition tables. These were mainly “useful tree species”, which are forest, bushland or liana species that are expected to be useful to farming or pastoral communities in the VECEA countries (see Appendix 1).

1: These floristic references included the UNEP-WCMC species database, the Flora of Tropical East Africa (for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), the Flora Zambesiaca (for Malawi and Zambia), and some of the national references (Friis et al. [2010] for Ethiopia; Beentje [1994] for Kenya; Bloesch et al. [2009] for Rwanda; the Uganda Forest Depart-ment Biodiversity Database (Howard & Davenport [1996], Viskanic [1999]) for Uganda; and Burgess and Clarke 2000 for the coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania)

5

The regional information (i.e. mainly obtained from White 1983) was used to collate information on the “regional status” of a species. The regional status included information on “indicators”, “characteristic species” and “species that are not characteristic”.

We defined these categories as:• Indicator: A species that was only listed for the focal bushland

type among all the bushland types described for the same floris-tic region of the focal bushland type. For example, Acacia bussei is an indicator for Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket since this species was only listed for Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket (White 1983 p. 114) among all the bushland and thickets described for the Somali-Masai floristic region.

• Characteristic species: A species that was listed for more than one of the bushland types that were described for the same floristic region, including the focal bushland type. For example, Grewia tem-bensis is a characteristic species for Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket since it is listed for Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket (White 1983 p. 114), but is also listed for East African evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket (White 1983 p. 115).

• Species that are not characteristic: A species that was listed among all the bushland and thicket types described for the same floristic region as the focal bushland type, but that was not listed for the focal bushland type. For example, Euphorbia candelabrum is a nega-tive indicator for Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket since this species was only listed for East African evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket (White 1983 p. 115) among all the bushlands described for the Somalia-Masai floristic region (and thus not listed as a species for Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket).

Information on indicators was used to identify the VECEA bushland type during the compilation of the VECEA map(2). For each of the national bushland or thicket types, the selected VECEA bushland type was the bushland type with the highest number of indicators (for this analysis, the complete species assemblages were investigated [i.e. not only the subset of species shown in the species composition tables in the ‘sec-tions 3’]).

We did not compile lists of indicators for bushland and thicket types that we deem are easy to be recognized and classified in the field: riverine thicket (br), the montane Ericaceous belt (E), Termitaria vegetation (T), and Zambezian ru-picolous bushland and thicket. We thought that it was not necessary for these types to re-confirm the regional classification based on indicator species.

2: One national bushland vegetation type was not reclassified as one of the re-gional bushland types. This vegetation type was Commiphora - Euphorbia - Lannea bushland (originally coded in Uganda as mapping unit T5). In Langdale-Brown et al. (1964, p. 65), it was mentioned that this vegetation type was secondary to mapping unit R1 ("Acacia tree and shrub steppe", mapped in VECEA as deciduous bushland and thicket [Bd]), whereas in Langdale-Brown et al. (1964 p. 68) information was given that the vegetation type was "appearing to be a natural climax". For the additional rea-sons that this vegetation type only oc-curred in small polygons and always in mosaic with other vegetation types, we did not include it in the VECEA map.

6

2.4. Information on the distribution of altitude, rainfall and temperature for each bushland and thicket type

We obtained information on annual rainfall and annual mean temperature from Worldclim (Hijmans et al. 2005; resolution of 30 arc seconds [~ 925 m]). Information on altitude was obtained from CGIAR-CSI (2008; resolu-tion of 3 arc seconds [~ 90 m]). We created a layer of sample points at a density of approximately one point per 5 km2 and with a minimum distance of 900 m. In a next step, we sampled the environmental data layers at the sample point locations. All steps were carried out in the GRASS GIS soft-ware (GRASS Development Team 2010).

For histograms, we excluded sample points from vegetation mosaics (i.e. polygons that contained more than one vegetation type). In each histogram, we compare the distribution of altitude, temperature and rainfall of the fo-cal bushland type with the distributions for all vegetation types and for all bushland types combined. The information for the combined vegetation types was also based on exclusion of sample points from vegetation mosa-ics.

7

3. Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commi phoradeciduous bushland and thicket (Bd)

3.1. Description

Within volumes 2 to 5, we use the synonym of “deciduous bushland (Bd)” as a synonym of “Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora decidu-ous bushland and thicket (Bd)”.

Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket is the climax vegetation type over the greater part of the Somalia-Masai floristic region. It characteristically is a dense bushland of 3 to 5 m tall with scattered emergent trees up to 9 m. Emergent species are only a few species that have well-defined trunks which carry the crown well above the main canopy; they are virtually absent from the driest areas. Most of the characteristic species of the main canopy are multiple-stemmed bushes or small bushy trees that are branched near the base. In higher rainfall areas (especially on rocky hills), the emergent trees occur closer together and are somewhat larger (but only exceptionally taller than 10 m). Some authors have categorized this physiog-nomic variant as woodland. Locally thickets are formed that are impenetrable. Even when canopy cover is less than 40 percent, but where grasses are incon-spicuous (such as the ephemeral species of Aristida adscensionis, Aristida congesta, Brachiaria eruciformis and Brachiaria leersioides and the short-lived perennial species of Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris roxburghiana and Schmidtia pappophoroides) and most of the phytomass consists of bushes (as in many places within deciduous bush-land), it would be misleading to classify this vegetation as wooded grassland. In areas where rainfall is somewhat less than 250 mm per year (but probably more than 200 mm - see Somalia-Masai semi-desert grassland and shrubland [S]), the vegetation of 2 to 3 m high bushes and stunted trees (principally of Acacia reficiens ssp. misera) is intermediate between bushland and shrubland (White 1983 pp. 113 - 114).

There is appreciable variation in floristic composition, but species of Acacia, Commiphora, Grewia and various Capparidaceae species [e.g. Boscia, Cadaba and Maerua] (3) are nearly always present. The dominant Acacia species and some of the Commiphora species are spinous. Some Commiphora species and Termi-nalia orbicularis have several massive branches that radiate from a common base. Most species are deciduous (loosing their leaves simultaneously and usually for several weeks or months [White 1983 p. 46]). Evergreen species occur throughout, but never contribute more than 10 percent of phytomass (White 1983 p. 113).

White (1983 p. 48) describes the African pattern that where annual rainfall is between 250 and 500 mm and where there are two rainy seasons, deciduous bushland and thicket communities of regional extent (such as Somalia-Ma-sai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket) occur. Where annual rainfall is also between 250 and 500 mm, but falls entirely in the summer -

3: Lind and Morrison (1974 p. 60) men-tion that members of the Capparidaceae family are common and include species of Boscia, Cadaba and Maerua. These are sometimes spiny and can be recognized by their showy flowers with many sta-mens and succulent, berry-like fruits on long stalks. These authors also refer to Grewia species that are commonly found and are often in flower (most have yel-low or white flowers with many stamens, but the common Grewia similis has bright mauve flowers).

8

as in the Sahel and Kalahari-Highveld floristic transition zones, grasses are favoured on sandy soils and the most widespread vegetation type becomes wooded grassland.

White (1983 p. 114) describes deciduous bushland that occurs in Tsavo Na-tional Park (between Garissa and Voi in Kenya) as typical. Most of the spe-cies that White (1983) listed as characteristic were indicator species (see also section 3.2). Only four species (including three climbers) were also listed as characteristic species for evergreen bushland (Be): Cissus quadrangularis and Cissus rotundifolia (climbers listed for this vegetation type occurring in the Lake Victoria region), Grewia tembensis (listed as a smaller bush and shrub for deciduous bushland and as a large bush in East African evergreen bushland) and Sarcostemma viminale (a climber listed for this vegetation type occurring in East Africa).

The indicator species can be further categorized in: (i) characteristic species of the main canopy; (ii) emergent species; (iii) smaller bushes and shrubs; (iv) succulents; and (v) climbers.

• Characteristic species of the main canopy include(4): Acacia bus-sei, Acacia mellifera (also scattered in Somalia-Masai edaphic grassland), Acacia nilotica, Acacia reficiens, Acacia thomasii, Balanites rotundifolia, Boscia coriacea (evergreen, often one of the few species that are not eliminated by elephants in severely de-graded bushland), Boswellia neglecta, Cadaba farinosa, Cada-ba heterotricha, Cassia abbreviata, Commiphora africana, Commiphora campestris, Commiphora edulis, Commiphora erythraea, Commiphora mollis, Commiphora schimperi (also scattered in Somalia-Masai edaphic grassland), Cordia monoica, Cordia sinensis, Dobera glabra, Dobera loranthifolia (ever-green), Euphorbia scheffleri, Givotia gosai, Hymenodictyon parvifolium, Lannea alata, Lannea triphylla, Platycelyphium voense, Premna hildebrandtii, Salvadora persica (evergreen), Sesamothamnus rivae, Sterculia africana, Sterculia rhyn-chocarpa, Sterculia stenocarpa, Terminalia orbicularis, Ter-minalia parvula and Thylachium thomasii.

• Emergent species include Acacia tortilis (also scattered in Soma-lia-Masai edaphic grassland), Adansonia digitata (often only 8 m tall with a short but massive trunk), Delonix elata, Euphorbia robecchii (a candelabra-like succulent), Melia volkensii (this species persists longer than most woody species in degraded bush-land) and Terminalia spinosa.

• Smaller bushes and shrubs include Bauhinia taitensis, Bridelia taitensis, Caesalpinia trothae, Carphalea glaucescens, Cau-canthus albidus, Combretum aculeatum, Ecbolium amplexi-caule, Erythrochlamys spectabilis, Grewia fallax, Grewia tembensis, Grewia tenax, Grewia villosa, Maerua deinhard-tiorum, Premna resinosa, Sericocomopsis hildebrandtii and Sericocomopsis pallida.

• Succulents include Adenium obesum, Calyptrotheca soma-lensis, Calyptrotheca taitensis, Euphorbia grandicornis, Eu-

4: White (1983 p. 114) did not list Acacia senegal among the characteristic species of the main canopy. However, this is probably an oversight since Acacia senegal is listed as one of the dominant spe-cies of deciduous bushland in Marsabit district (White 1983 p. 121). Acacia senegal var. kerensis is a typical constituent of de-ciduous bushland and the main producer of gum arabic in Kenya. The variety of Acacia senegal var. senegal is a typical vari-ety of biotic Acacia wooded grassland (We; F. Gachathi, pers. comm.).

9

phorbia nyikae (a candelabra-like succulent that is more restricted than Euphorbia robechii), Euphorbia robecchii (a candelabra-like succulent that also is an emergent), Euphorbia quinquecostata (a candelabra-like succulent that is more restricted than Euphorbia robechii) and Monadenium invenustum.

• Climbers include Adenia globosa (a climber with enormous half-submerged water storing tubers), Gerrardanthus lobatus, Ke-drostis gijef, Pergularia daemia, Pyrenacantha malvifolia (a climber with enormous half-submerged water storing tubers, often one of the few remaining species in severely degraded bushland) and Thunbergia guerkeana.

10

Figure 3.1 Acacia-Commiphora decidu-

ous bushland 57 km from Konso on

route to Yabello (Ethiopia). Photograph

by Sebsebe Demissew (May 2008).

Figure 3.2 Acacia-Commiphora bush-

land on fine-grained reddish sand. The

photograph was taken near Yabelo

(Ethiopia) after a rainy season with

above-average rainfall. Altitude ap-

proximately 1600 metres. Photograph

by I. Friis and Sebsebe Demissew

(November 1997). Reproduced from

Biologiske Skrifter of the Royal Danish

Academy of Sciences and letters, Vol.

58, Fig 15B. 2010.

Figure 3.3 Partly exposed tubers of

Pyrenacantha malviifolia in the under-

ground of Acacia-Commiphora decidu-

ous bushland (Bd), here partly on black

cotton soil (vertisol). Near Sof Omar

(Ethiopia). Altitude approximately

1500 metres. White (1983 p. 114)

described this species as a climber with

enormous half-submerged water stor-

ing tubers and often one of the few

remaining species in severely degraded

Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora

deciduous bushland. Photograph by I.

Friis and Sebsebe Demissew (October

1984). Reproduced from Biologiske

Skrifter of the Royal Danish Academy

of Sciences and letters, Vol. 58, Fig

15H. 2010.

11

Figure 3.4 Acacia-Commiphora decid-

uous bushland in Garbatula (Kenya).

The species in the foreground is Com-

miphora holtziana. The emergent tree

at the right is Acacia tortilis. Photo-

graph by F. Gachathi (2011).

Figure 3.5 Commiphora africana is a

typical species of Acacia-Commiphora

deciduous bushland. The image above

shows the species during the dry sea-

son (Garbatula, Kenya, photograph

taken in 2011), whereas the image

below shows the species during the

wet season (Samburu district, Kenya,

photograph taken in 2009). Photo-

graphs by F. Gachathi.

12

Figure 3.6 Commiphora holtziana

produces opoponax (hagar). This

species can dominate large sections

of Acacia-Commiphora bushland in

Kenya as in Garbatula shown here.

Photograph by F. Gachathi (2011).

Figure 3.7 Acacia senegal var. kerensis

is a typical constituent of Acacia-

Commiphora deciduous bushland and

thicket, as in the thicket shown here

from Isiolo District (Kenya). This spe-

cies is the main producer of gum ara-

bic in Kenya. Another variety of this

species, Acacia senegal var. kerensis,

is typical of biotic Acacia wooded

grassland (We, see Volume 3).

Photograph by F. Gachathi (2008).

13

Figure 3.8 Acacia reficiens ssp.

misera can form almost uniform

stands as shown here in Garbatula

(Kenya).

Figure 3.9 White (1983 p. 114)

describes that Acacia reficiens

ssp. misera is the typical stunted

tree species of vegetation that is

intermediate between bushland

and shrubland (in VECEA, this

vegetation type was mapped as

the “stunted bushland” subtype of

Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commipho-

ra deciduous bushland and thicket

[Bds]). Photographs taken by F.

Gachathi (2011).

14

3.2. VECEA region

Within the VECEA region, Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora bushland and thicket occurs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (see Figures 3.10 and Volume 6). For Kenya, we mapped a subtype of stunted bush-land separately (Figure 3.11). We do not expect that this vegetation type exists in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia.

Figure 3.10. Mapped distribution of Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and

thicket in the VECEA region (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia).

Where this vegetation type does not occur in mosaic, it is depicted by green polygons. Where

this vegetation type occurs as part of different vegetation mosaics (as in Tanzania), this vegeta-

tion is mapped as greyish-brown polygons. The Kenyan stunted bushland subtype was excluded

(see Figure 3.11; note that stunted bushland possibly also occurs within the areas depicted in the

figure directly below).

15

Figure 3.11. Mapped distribution of the “stunted bushland” subtype of Somalia-Masai Acacia-

Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket in the VECEA region (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi,

Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). This stunted subtype was only mapped in Kenya, but

possibly also occurs in other countries where Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora bushland and

thicket is present. Where this vegetation type does not occur in mosaic, it is depicted by green

polygons. This vegetation is also mapped as part of different vegetation mosaics (shown in grey-

ish-brown); these polygons depict areas in Marsabit District where “stunted bushland” occurs in

mosaics of semi-desert vegetation (S, see Volume 4).

16

In Ethiopia, Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket was originally classified and mapped as “Acacia-Commiphora wood-land and bushland proper” [original mapping unit ACB).

The Range Management Handbook of Kenya (RMHK) contained mapping units 14 (deciduous bushland), 15 (deciduous bush [perennial] grassland), 16 (deciduous bush annual grassland), 20 (deciduous shrubland), 21 (deciduous shrub [perennial] grassland) and 22 (deciduous shrub annual grassland). We classified the “shrubland” of the RMHK as “stunted bushland” in VECEA based on the comment of White (1983 p. 120) that “stunted deciduous bushland (…) is intermediate between bushland and shrubland (…) and is referred to by Herlocker as shrubland” (Herlocker was the main bota-nist for the RMHK). However, the physiognomic difference between “bush ([annual] grasslands)” and “shrub ([annual] grasslands” as defined in the RMHK is that trees (5) form less than 10% of the overall tree crown cover in “shrubland” (RMHK Volume II.1).

We did not have sufficient details on the physiognomic differences between “woodland”, “bushland” and “thicket” subtypes of “ Acacia-Commiphora low woodland, thicket and bushland” of the Trapnell et al. (1966, 1969, 1976, 1986; see also Trapnell and Brunt [1987]) vegetation sheets for central and south-western Kenya. As we assumed that the “woodland” classification did not involve substantially taller vegetation than typical of bushland and since typical wooded grassland would have been classified as “savanna”, we classified all “ Acacia-Commiphora low woodland, thicket and bushland” as Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket (Bd), including Acacia tortilis woodland on alluvium (original mapping unit 21b, sheets 1, 2 and 4) and Commiphora thicket and woodland (original mapping unit 20b, sheets 2 and 4).

In Tanzania, Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket was mapped by including all bushland areas from the Tanzanian sec-tion of the Somalia-Masai floristic region (see Volume 6).

For Uganda, Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket was mapped by including areas that were nationally as subtypes of “ Acacia-Commiphora bushland”, “ Acacia or Lannea- Acacia tree and shrub steppe” (6) and “Acacia nubica thicket” (see section 3.3 and Volume 6). Langdale-Brown et al. (1964 p. 65) mention that overgrazing has resulted in widespread succession of “tree and shrub steppe” (original mapping unit R) to bushland and thicket (7). Although Langdale-Brown et al. (1964 p. 66) indicate that most bushland communities are probably regressional stages, there are clear floristic similarities with the climax Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket communities described for other countries (see section 3.2).

Investigation of environmental distribution of Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket in the VECEA region (Figure 3.12; limits are for areas of the VECEA map where this vegetation type is not mapped as mosaic) shows that more than 90% of the samples occur in

5: “Trees” are distinctly differentiated into trunk and crown, “shrubs” are less than 6 m in height and “dwarf shrubs” are smaller than 70 cm (RMHK)

7: As our main aim was to create a poten-tial natural vegetation map, we followed the suggestions given by Langdale-Brown et al. (1964) about successional relationships between the many vegeta-tion subtypes that they discriminated. However, in some situations informa-tion about successional pathways was not clear, for example:

• On page 65, it is mentioned that over-grazing of Acacia tree and shrub steppe (R1) stimulates a sequence of changes that culminates in the formation of T3 and T5 Acacia and Commiphora bushland

• On page 68, it is mentioned that T5 (Commiphora - Euphorbia - Lannea) is probably a natural climax.

6: Langdale-Brown et al. (1964 p. 21) de-fine “savanna” as formations of grass-es that are at least 80 cm high and that form a continuous layer dominating a lower stratum. This vegetation type is usually burnt annually. Woody plants are usually present. “Steppe” is defined as open herbaceous vegetation where perennial grasses are usually less than 80 cm high and widely spaced. This vegetation type is usually not burnt. Annual plants are very often abundant between the perennials. Woody plants sometimes occur.

17

an interval from 0 – 1500 m. More than 95% of samples receive between 200 and 1000 mm annual rainfall. This is a considerably wider range than provided by White (1983, 250 – 500 mm). The rainfall interval of 200 – 400 mm contains the highest number of samples (39.1%) for this vegetation type, however. The distribution of environmental conditions of Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket strongly resem-bles the distribution of all bushlands and thickets combined: this is a con-sequence of 90.8% of bushland and thickets belonging to this vegetation type. Given the wider range in annual rainfall than reported by White (1983 p. 48), it is possible that some areas that are mapped as deciduous bushland (Bd) by VECEA are in reality evergreen Bushland (Be; White [1983] gives a rainfall interval of 500 to 1000 mm for this vegetation type).

18

(a)

(b)

(c)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

< 0 0 - 2.5 2.5 - 5 5 - 7.5 7.5 - 10 10 - 12.5 12.5 - 15 15 - 17.5 17.5 - 20 20 - 22.5 22.5 - 25 25 - 27.5 27.5 - 30 30 - 32.5 > 32.5

Altitude (÷ 100 m; 250 m intervals)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

0 - 3 3 - 6 6 - 9 9 - 12 12 - 15 15 - 18 18 - 21 21 - 24 24 - 27 27 - 30 30 - 33

Annual mean temperature (interval in degrees Celsius)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

100 300 500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300 2500 2700

Annual mean rainfall (midpoint of 200 mm interval)

Figure 3.12. Histograms of the distribution of altitude (a), mean annual temperature (b) and mean

annual rainfall (c). Bars at the centre of each interval show the percentage of samples within

Somalia-Masai Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket (Bd, n = 228,661). Bars on

left (open) show the overall percentage of samples (n = 740,047). Bars on the right (black) show

the percentages of samples within bushlands or thickets (including all vegetation types that are

described in this volume, n =250,418).

19

3.3. Species composition

Species assemblages were obtained from the following references:• Ethiopia: Friis et al. 2010. Species mentioned in Appendix 3 for “

Acacia-Commiphora woodland and bushland proper” [ACB] were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

• Kenya (columns “BdK” and “BdsK”): Species that were expected to occur in the bushland type based on information from Beentje (1994), the Flora of Tropical East Africa and field experience from our Kenyan co-author (F. Gachathi) were coded “x” in column “BdK”. A suffix of “a” refers to species that were recorded for mapping unit 16 of the Range Management Handbook of Kenya (RMHK, this vegetation type contains annual grasses). A suffix of “b” referred to mapping unit 14 of the RMHK. A suffix of “p” referred to species that were recorded for mapping unit 15 of the Range Management Handbook of Kenya (this vegetation type contains perennial grasses). In a separate column (“BdsK”, indi-cating the stunted bushland subtype), species listed for mapping unit 20 of the RMHK were coded “x”. Suffixes of “a” referred to mapping unit 22 (with annual grasses) and “p” referred to mapping unit 21 (with perennial grasses).

• Tanzania: White (1983 p. 128). Species that were listed as Acacia-Commiphora deciduous bushland and thicket in the Serengeti eco-system were coded “x”.

• Uganda (columns “BdU”, “BdtU” and “BdsU”): Langdale-Brown et al. (1964). In column “BdU”, all species mentioned in the ap-pendix to occur in Acacia - Lannea bushland (original mapping unit T1) were coded “x1”, those occurring in “ Acacia – Commiphora - Lannea bushland” (T2) were coded “x2”, those occurring in “ Aca-cia - Commiphora bushland” (T3) were coded “x3”, those occurring in “Acacia reficiens - Commiphora bushland and thicket” (T4) were coded “x4”, those occurring in “Commiphora - Euphorbia - Lannea “ (T5) were coded “x5”, those occurring in “Lannea - Acacia - Bal-anites bushland” (T6) were coded “x6”, those occurring in “ Acacia - Albizia - Dichrostachys bushland” (T7) were coded “x7”, those oc-curring in “Acacia mellifera bushland" (T8) were coded “x8” and those occurring in “ Acacia seyal -Acacia nilotica - Pennisetum mezianum bushland “ (T9) were coded “x9”. In a separate column (“BdvU”), all species occurring in “ Acacia - Euphorbia thicket” (V2) were coded “x2”, all species occurring in “ Acacia - Commiphora thicket” (V3) were coded “x3”, all species occurring in “Acacia nubica thicket” (V4) were coded “x4” and all species occurring in “Acacia mellifera thicket” (V5) were coded “x5”. In a third separate column (“BdrU”), all species that were listed to occur in “Acacia tree and shrub steppe” (R1) in the appendix were coded “x1” (unless they were characteristic species) and all species that were listed to oc-cur in “Lannea - Acacia tree and shrub steppe” (R2) in the appendix were coded “x2” (unless they were characteristic species).

20

Characteristic species were determined as:• Ethiopia: Those species that were mentioned in the description of

the vegetation type in the main text were coded as “C”.• Kenya: characteristic species were not identified.• Tanzania: Characteristic species were not identified.• Uganda: species that were mentioned in the main reference text

were coded “C”.

Within the information on assemblages, coding “f ” indicates that there is information that the species potentially occurs in the vegetation type since it occurs in the focal country and in the same bushland type in other coun-tries (see section 2.3).

21

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Aca

cia

asak

x

Aca

cia

brev

ispi

ca

xxb

px

fC

257

x34

C3

x2

Aca

cia

buss

eiin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)C

xbp

xf

C

5

Aca

cia

drep

anol

obiu

mno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (e

daph

ic g

rass

land

and

bio

tic A

caci

a w

oode

d gr

assl

and)

Cxp

xpx

x89

x1

Aca

cia

elat

ior

x

f

Aca

cia

gerr

ardi

ino

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

cter

istic

for

bio

tic A

caci

a w

oode

d gr

assl

and)

fx

f

x5

Aca

cia

hock

iino

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

cter

istic

for

bio

tic A

caci

a w

oode

d gr

assl

and)

fx

f

C3

x25

Aca

cia

laha

i

xxp

f

f

Aca

cia

mel

lifer

ain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

, als

o sc

atte

red

in s

easo

nally

wat

erlo

gged

gra

ssla

nd w

ithin

A

caci

a-C

omm

ipho

ra b

ushl

and)

xxb

pxa

px

C13

48 x

9C

235

x4C

1 x2

Aca

cia

nilo

tica

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xxb

px

fC

189

x267

x34

x1

Aca

cia

oerf

ota

x

xbxa

pf

fC

4

Aca

cia

paol

ii

xx

xap

Aca

cia

poly

acan

tha

f

x

ff

Aca

cia

refic

iens

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

Cxa

bpxa

pf

C4

C5

Aca

cia

sene

gal

not

char

acte

ristic

(cha

ract

eris

tic f

or b

iotic

Aca

cia

woo

ded

gras

slan

d; b

ut s

ee f

ootn

ote

4)x

xap

xap

fC

6 x7

Aca

cia

seya

lno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

cter

istic

for

bio

tic A

caci

a w

oode

d gr

assl

and)

xxa

p

xC

59 x

2C

2 x3

5C

2

Aca

cia

sieb

eria

na

ff

f

f

Aca

cia

thom

asii

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

x

Aca

cia

tort

ilis

indi

cato

r (o

ne o

f fe

w s

peci

es w

ith w

ell-d

efine

d tr

unk)

Cxa

bpxa

px

C1

x347

C2

x345

C2

Aca

cia

xant

hoph

loea

x

f

Com

mip

hora

afr

ican

ain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

xbx

fC

4 x3

567

x3x2

Com

mip

hora

cam

pest

risin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)C

x

fx3

4C

3

Com

mip

hora

edu

lisin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)C

x

fC

4 x3

Com

mip

hora

ery

thra

eain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

xab

xa

Com

mip

hora

hab

essi

nica

x

x

xC

2 x1

3x3

Com

mip

hora

mol

lisin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)

x

f

Com

mip

hora

myr

rha

C

x

Com

mip

hora

ros

trat

a

Cx

Tabl

e 3.

Spe

cies

com

posi

tion

tabl

e fo

r So

mal

ia-M

asai

Aca

cia-

Com

mip

hora

dec

iduo

us b

ushl

and

and

thic

ket

(Bd)

22

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Com

mip

hora

sch

impe

riin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

, als

o sc

atte

red

in s

easo

nally

wat

erlo

gged

gra

ssla

nd w

ithin

A

caci

a-C

omm

ipho

ra b

ushl

and)

xx

f

C5

x23

Abu

tilon

ang

ulat

um

x

f

Aco

kant

hera

sch

impe

rino

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xf

f

f

Ada

nson

ia d

igita

tain

dica

tor

(one

of

few

spe

cies

with

wel

l-defi

ned

trun

k)f

x

x

Ade

nia

glob

osa

indi

cato

r (c

limbe

r w

ith e

norm

ous

wat

er-s

torin

g tu

ber)

xx

f

Ade

nium

obe

sum

indi

cato

r (s

uccu

lent

)x

x

x4

x25

Alb

izia

am

ara

not

char

acte

ristic

(cha

ract

eris

tic f

or e

daph

ic g

rass

land

)f

xbx

fC

7 x2

369

Alb

izia

ant

helm

intic

a

xx

f

x1x3

Allo

phyl

us r

ubifo

lius

x

x

ff

Bala

nite

s ae

gypt

iaca

C

xx

fC

68 x

157

x234

5x1

2

Bala

nite

s gl

abra

x

x

f

Bala

nite

s ro

tund

ifolia

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

Cx

x

C68

x1

x23

Bauh

inia

tai

tens

isin

dica

tor

(sm

alle

r bu

sh o

r sh

rub)

x

Berc

hem

ia d

isco

lor

x

x

ff

Bosc

ia a

ngus

tifol

ia

xx

f

x23

Bosc

ia c

oria

cea

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py, e

verg

reen

)x

xx

ff

Bosc

ia s

alic

ifolia

x

x

ff

Bosw

ellia

mic

roph

ylla

C

xbx

Bosw

ellia

neg

lect

ain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)C

xC

fx3

4

Bosw

ellia

pap

yrife

ra

fx

f

Bosw

ellia

riv

ae

xxb

Brid

elia

scl

eron

eura

f

f

ff

Brid

elia

tai

tens

isnd

icat

or (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)

x

Cad

aba

farin

osa

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

fx

xpf

x189

x234

5x1

Cad

aba

hete

rotr

icha

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xx

Cae

salp

inia

tro

thae

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

xb

f

Cal

otro

pis

proc

era

x

xxa

ff

Cal

yptr

othe

ca s

omal

ensi

sin

dica

tor

(suc

cule

nt)

xx

Cal

yptr

othe

ca t

aite

nsis

indi

cato

r (s

uccu

lent

)

x

23

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Can

thiu

m la

ctes

cens

x

x

ff

Cap

paris

tom

ento

sano

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

Cx

f

f

Car

issa

spi

naru

mno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xx

f

f

Car

phal

ea g

lauc

esce

nsin

dica

tor

(sm

alle

r bu

sh o

r sh

rub)

xx

f

Cas

sia

abbr

evia

tain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)

x

f

Cau

cant

hus

albi

dus

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

x

Cis

sus

quad

rang

ular

isch

arac

teris

tic (c

limbe

r w

ith s

uccu

lent

pho

tosy

nthe

tic s

tem

s)

x

xx4

x34

Cis

sus

rotu

ndifo

liach

arac

teris

tic (c

limbe

r w

ith s

uccu

lent

leav

es)

xx

f

x2x2

3

Cle

rode

ndru

m m

yric

oide

s

fx

f

f

Com

bret

um a

cule

atum

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)C

x

ff

Com

bret

um a

deno

goni

um

fx

f

f

Com

bret

um c

ollin

um

fx

f

f

Com

bret

um m

olle

f

x

ff

Cor

deau

xia

edul

is

x

Cor

dia

mon

oica

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xx

f

f

Cor

dia

sine

nsis

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xxa

bpxa

px

fx2

35

Del

onix

ela

tain

dica

tor

(one

of

few

spe

cies

with

wel

l-defi

ned

trun

k)x

xab

xaf

f

Dic

hros

tach

ys c

iner

ea

xf

f

C78

x16

9

Dio

spyr

os s

cabr

a

fx

f

Dob

era

glab

rain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

xbxa

ff

Dob

era

lora

nthi

folia

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py, e

verg

reen

)

x

f

Dom

beya

kirk

ii

xf

f

f

Dom

beya

rot

undi

folia

f

x

f

Ecbo

lium

am

plex

icau

lein

dica

tor

(sm

alle

r bu

sh o

r sh

rub)

f

x

Enta

da a

byss

inic

a

ff

f

f

Eryt

hrin

a bu

rttii

x

f

Eryt

hrin

a m

elan

acan

tha

x

x

f

Eryt

hroc

hlam

ys s

pect

abili

sin

dica

tor

(sm

alle

r bu

sh o

r sh

rub)

xx

24

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Eucl

ea d

ivin

orum

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)x

x

ff

Eucl

ea r

acem

osa

f

xp

ff

Euph

orbi

a ca

ndel

abru

mno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xx

x

C5

x29

C3

x2

Euph

orbi

a gr

andi

corn

isin

dica

tor

(suc

cule

nt)

xb

x4x2

Euph

orbi

a ny

ikae

indi

cato

r (s

uccu

lent

, can

dela

bra

euph

orbi

a m

ore

rest

ricte

d th

an E

upho

rbia

rob

ecch

ii)

x

x

Euph

orbi

a qu

inqu

ecos

tata

indi

cato

r (s

uccu

lent

, can

dela

bra

euph

orbi

a m

ore

rest

ricte

d th

an E

upho

rbia

rob

ecch

ii)

x

f

Euph

orbi

a ro

becc

hii

indi

cato

r (o

ne o

f fe

w s

peci

es w

ith w

ell-d

efine

d tr

unk,

can

dela

bra

euph

orbi

ax

x

f

Euph

orbi

a sc

heffl

eri

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xx

f

Euph

orbi

a tir

ucal

li

xx

x

f

Faid

herb

ia a

lbid

a

xx

f

f

Ficu

s gl

umos

a

xf

f

f

Flac

ourt

ia in

dica

x

f

ff

Flue

ggea

viro

sa

xf

f

f

Gar

deni

a te

rnifo

lia

ff

f

f

Gar

deni

a vo

lken

sii

x

xb

ff

Ger

rard

anth

us lo

batu

sin

dica

tor

(clim

ber)

x

f

f

Giv

otia

gos

aiin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

x

Gre

wia

bic

olor

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)x

x

ff

x3

Gre

wia

fal

lax

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)

x

ff

Gre

wia

mol

lis

fx

f

f

Gre

wia

sim

ilis

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

x

fx2

C3

Gre

wia

tem

bens

isch

arac

teris

tic (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

xab

xa

Gre

wia

ten

axin

dica

tor

(sm

alle

r bu

sh o

r sh

rub)

xxa

bxa

pf

x4C

3 x5

Gre

wia

vill

osa

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

xbxp

fx3

78x2

35

Har

rison

ia a

byss

inic

a

xx

f

f

Hym

enod

icty

on p

arvi

foliu

min

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)

x

ff

Hyp

haen

e co

mpr

essa

(pal

m s

peci

es)

xx

xaf

Hyp

haen

e th

ebai

ca(p

alm

spe

cies

)x

fxa

Jatr

opha

cur

cas

x

ff

25

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Ked

rost

is g

ijef

indi

cato

r (c

limbe

r)

x

f

Lann

ea a

lata

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

x

f

Lann

ea h

umili

sno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

cter

istic

for

eda

phic

gra

ssla

nd)

xf

f

C6

x157

C3

x24

C2

Lann

ea r

ivae

x

x

f

Lann

ea s

chim

peri

f

f

ff

Lann

ea s

chw

einf

urth

ii

fx

f

f

Lann

ea t

riphy

llain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

x

fC

5 x1

237

C3

C2

Law

soni

a in

erm

is

xxb

xf

f

Lept

aden

ia h

asta

ta

xf

Mae

rua

decu

mbe

ns

xx

f

f

Mae

rua

dein

hard

tioru

min

dica

tor

(sm

alle

r bu

sh o

r sh

rub)

xx

Man

ilkar

a m

ochi

sia

x

f

Man

ilkar

a su

lcat

a

x

f

May

tenu

s se

nega

lens

is

xx

f

f

Mel

ia v

olke

nsii

indi

cato

r (o

ne o

f fe

w s

peci

es w

ith w

ell-d

efine

d tr

unk)

xx

f

Mey

na t

etra

phyl

la

fx

f

f

Mon

aden

ium

inve

nust

umin

dica

tor

(suc

cule

nt)

f

Mor

inga

ole

ifera

x

ff

Mor

inga

ste

nope

tala

f

x

New

toni

a hi

ldeb

rand

tii

x

f

Onc

oba

spin

osa

f

x

ff

Opi

lia c

ampe

stris

x

x

f

Orm

ocar

pum

kirk

ii

x

f

Orm

ocar

pum

tra

chyc

arpu

m

xx

f

f

Orm

ocar

pum

tric

hoca

rpum

x

x

fx1

Oto

steg

ia in

tegr

ifolia

x

Ozo

roa

insi

gnis

x

f

fx7

Park

inso

nia

acul

eata

x

26

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Pave

tta

cras

sipe

s

xf

f

f

Perg

ular

ia d

aem

iain

dica

tor

(clim

ber)

x

f

Phoe

nix

dact

ylife

ra(p

alm

spe

cies

)

x

f

Phoe

nix

recl

inat

a(p

alm

spe

cies

)f

x

ff

Plat

ycel

yphi

um v

oens

ein

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

x

f

Plec

tran

thus

bar

batu

s

xf

f

C5

x2C

23

Popu

lus

ilici

folia

x

f

Prem

na h

ildeb

rand

tiiin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)

x

f

Prem

na r

esin

osa

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

x

ff

Psyd

rax

schi

mpe

riana

x

x

ff

Pter

olob

ium

ste

llatu

mno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xf

f

f

Pyre

naca

ntha

mal

vifo

liain

dica

tor

(clim

ber

with

eno

rmou

s w

ater

-sto

ring

tube

r)x

x

f

Rhoi

ciss

us r

evoi

lii

xf

f

f

Rhoi

ciss

us t

riden

tata

x

f

ff

Rhus

nat

alen

sis

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)x

xx

fx2

x3

Rhus

ten

uine

rvis

x

f

f

Rhus

vul

garis

x

f

ff

Saba

com

oren

sis

x

f

Salv

ador

a pe

rsic

ain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

, eve

rgre

en)

xxa

pxa

px

f

Sarc

oste

mm

a vi

min

ale

char

acte

ristic

(clim

ber

with

suc

cule

nt p

hoto

synt

hetic

ste

ms)

xf

x4x3

Scle

roca

rya

birr

eano

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

cter

istic

for

eda

phic

gra

ssla

nd)

fx

f

C3

x2

Sear

sia

retin

orrh

oea

x

Sene

cio

hadi

ensi

s

xf

f

f

Senn

a al

exan

drin

a

xx

Senn

a di

dym

obot

rya

x

f

ff

Senn

a si

ngue

ana

f

x

ff

Seric

ocom

opsi

s hi

lde-

bran

dtii

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

xabp

xap

fx4

27

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Seric

ocom

opsi

s pa

llida

indi

cato

r (s

mal

ler

bush

or

shru

b)x

xbx

f

Sesa

mot

ham

nus

rivae

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xx

f

x4

Spiro

stac

hys

vene

nife

ra

x

f

Steg

anot

aeni

a ar

alia

cea

x

x

fx2

Ster

culia

afr

ican

ain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

xb

f

Ster

culia

rhy

ncho

carp

ain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)x

f

fx3

Ster

culia

ste

noca

rpa

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

xx

f

f

Ster

eosp

erm

um k

unth

i-an

um

fx

f

f

Tam

arin

dus

indi

ca

xf

f

f

Tam

arix

aph

ylla

f

x

Tam

arix

nilo

tica

f

x

f

Tare

nna

grav

eole

nsno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

(eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xf

f

x3

Term

inal

ia b

row

nii

x

f

fC

3 x7

Term

inal

ia o

rbic

ular

isin

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)C

xa

Term

inal

ia p

arvu

lain

dica

tor

(mai

n ca

nopy

)

x

Term

inal

ia p

runi

oide

s

xx

f

Term

inal

ia s

pino

sain

dica

tor

(one

of

few

spe

cies

with

wel

l-defi

ned

trun

k)x

xbx

ff

Tetr

aden

ia r

ipar

ia

fx

Thun

berg

ia g

uerk

eana

indi

cato

r (c

limbe

r)

x

f

Thyl

achi

um t

hom

asii

indi

cato

r (m

ain

cano

py)

x

Uva

ria s

chef

fleri

x

ff

Vang

ueria

mad

agas

carie

nsis

x

f

ff

Woo

dfor

dia

unifl

ora

f

x

f

Xim

enia

am

eric

ana

x

x

fx5

Zant

hoxy

lum

cha

lybe

um

xxb

xf

C7

x3

Zant

hoxy

lum

usa

mba

rens

e

fx

f

Zizi

phus

aby

ssin

ica

f

x

ff

28

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

dK

B

dsK

B

dvU

B

drU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya)

(Ken

ya s

ub

-ty

pe)

(Tan

zan

ia)

(Ug

and

a)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Zizi

phus

mau

ritia

na

xx

f

f

Zizi

phus

muc

rona

ta

xx

f

f

Zizi

phus

pub

esce

ns

fx

f

f

Zizi

phus

spi

na-c

hris

ti

xx

f

f

29

4. Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket (synonym: evergreen bushland, Be)

4.1. Description

Within volumes 2 to 5, we use the synonym of “evergreen bushland (Be)” as a synonym of “evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket (Be)”.

White (1983) describes evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thick-ets within the descriptions of two floristic regions: (i) the Somalia-Masai regional centre of endemism (‘East African evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket’); and (ii) the Lake Victoria regional mosaic (‘evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket and derived communities’).

Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket occurs on the drier slopes of mountains and upland areas in East Africa which rise from the lowlands from the Somalia-Masai region all the way from central Tanzania to Eritrea (and beyond). It often forms an ecotone between Afromontane forest (especially Afromontane single-dominant Juniperus procera forest [Fbj]) and deciduous bushland (Bd) - this pattern of occurrence can be clearly observed in northern Kenya such as at on the lower slopes of Mt. Marsabit (2º 16’ N, 37º 57’ E). The mean annual rainfall is mostly between 500 and 850 mm and is irregularly distributed throughout the year but with two main peaks (White 1983 pp. 48 and 115).

Evergreen bushland varies greatly in composition and richness, but certain species that are nearly always present include Acokanthera schimperi, Carissa spinarum, Dodonaea viscosa, Euclea divinorum, Euphorbia candelabrum, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (synonym: Olea africana), Tarchonanthus camphoratus (especially in disturbed areas), Vepris simplicifolia (synonym: Teclea simplicifolia) together with other species of Acokanthera, Aloe, Euclea, Euphorbia, Sanseviera and Vepris. Succulents such as Dracaena ellenbeckiana and Euphorbia candelabrum that are present in evergreen bushland are absent from Afromontane single-dominant Junipe-rus procera forest (Fbj, White 1983 p. 115).

Evergreen bushland (in mosaic with Lake Victoria Euphorbia dawei scrub forest [fe, see Volume 2] that is edaphically restricted to rocky slopes) prob-ably represents the climax vegetation of large parts of the Lake Victoria region. This evergreen bushland variant is floristically similar but also flo-ristically poorer than the vegetation type with the same name that occurs in the Somalia-Masai region. The principal bushy species include Allophylus africanus, Azima tetracantha, Carissa spinarum (also listed as character-istic in East Africa), Capparis fascicularis (listed as a characteristic climber in East Africa), Capparis tomentosa, Erythrococca bongensis, Grewia bicolor, Maerua triphylla, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (synonym: Olea

30

africana, also listed as characteristic in East Africa), Psydrax schimperiana, Rhus natalensis (also listed as characteristic in East Africa), Tarenna gra-veolens and Turraea nilotica.

Annual rainfall is higher in places where evergreen bushland occurs in the Lake Victoria region (850 mm to 1000 mm) than those places where it occurs in the Somalia-Masai region (500 to 850 mm; White 1983 pp. 48 and 182).

Where evergreen bushland is degraded (as a result from grazing), various Acacia species invade and biotic Acacia wooded grassland (We) becomes established. This vegetation type forms an alternative steady state of poten-tial natural vegetation to evergreen bushland (i.e. it is possible for both types of potential natural vegetation to become established in the areas where they are mapped separately).

The grasslands of the Loita and other plains that occur in Narok district (including parts of the Masai-Mara reserve) are similar in grass species com-position as the edaphic grasslands on volcanic soils of the Serengeti plains (gv, see Volume 5). However, these grasslands in Narok district are second-ary to evergreen bushland as a result from fire and browsing (White 1983 p. 127). Areas capable of supporting evergreen bushland in Nairobi National Park have been converted to grassland as a result from browsing, grazing and fire (White 1983 p. 116).

White (1983) describes relatively undisturbed evergreen bushland (locally im-penetrable) that occurred near Nairobi between 1875 and 2080 m. Most of the species that White (1983) listed as characteristic were indicator species (see also section 4.3). Only two species were also listed as characteristic species for deciduous bushland (Bd): Grewia tembensis (listed as a smaller bush and shrub for deciduous bushland and thicket, and as a large bush in East African ever-green bushland) and Sarcostemma viminale (a succulent climber).

The indicator species can be further categorized in: (i) characteristic species of the main canopy; (ii) other large bushes; (iii) scattered emergents; (iv) shrubs; (v) climbers; and (vi) scattered stunted individuals that indicate the transition to Afromontane single-dominant Juniperus procera forest (Fbj).

• Characteristic species of the main canopy (3 to 7 m) include Acokanthera schimperi, Euclea divinorum, Gnidia subcor-data, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (synonym: Olea africana], also listed as characteristic species for the Lake Victoria region), Tarchonanthus camphoratus (especially in disturbed areas) and Vepris simplicifolia. (White (1983) did not list Carissa spinarum, but this could be an omission).

• Other large bushes include Canthium keniense, Croton di-chogamus, Dodonaea viscosa, Dombeya burgessiae, Grewia similis, Maytenus heterophylla and Rhus natalensis (also listed as characteristic species for the Lake Victoria region).

• Euphorbia candelabrum (a cactoid stem-succulent) occurs throughout as a scattered emergent up to 9 m tall. This species was

31

also listed as a characteristic species for the Lake Victoria region. • Shrubs include Aspilia mossambicensis, Psiadia punctulata,

Tinnea aethiopica and Turraea mombassana.• Climbers include Capparis fascicularis (also listed as characteris-

tic species for the Lake Victoria region), Pterolobium stellatum and Scutia myrtina.

• Scattered stunted individuals that indicate the transition to Afrom-ontane single-dominant Juniperus procera forest (Fbj) appear at higher altitudes and include Calodendrum capense, Cussonia holstii, Drypetes gerrardii, Elaeodendron buchananii, Junipe-rus procera (evergreen bushland could be the original habitat of this species [White 1983 p. 165]) and Schrebera alata.

32

Figure 4.1 Evergreen thicket in Queen

Elizabeth National Park (Uganda).

Emergent Euphorbia candelabrum

covered by climbers can be seen in

various places. Photograph by M.

Namaganda (June 2008).

Figure 4.2 Evergreen and semi-

evergreen bushland next to a remnant

of Afromontane single-dominant

Juniperus procera forest (Fbj). Near

Arero (Ethiopia). Approximate altitude

1800m. Photograph by I. Friis and

Sebsebe Demissew (September 2002).

Reproduced from Biologiske Skrifter

of the Royal Danish Academy of Sci-

ences and letters, Vol. 58, Fig 23A.

2010.

Figure 4.3 Stands of Dracaena ombet

subsp. ombet in Acacia-dominated

bushland below remnants of Afrom-

ontane single-dominant Juniperus

procera forest (Fbj). Between Wukro

and Berahile (Ethiopia). Approximate

altitude 1700 m. Photograph by I.

Friis and Sebsebe Demissew (October

2009). Reproduced from Biologiske

Skrifter of the Royal Danish Academy

of Sciences and letters, Vol. 58, Fig

23B. 2010.

33

Figure 4.4 Regrowth of Tarchonanthus

camphoratus in evergreen bushland

in a transition zone between Acacia-

Commiphora deciduous bushland

and Afromontane single-dominant

Juniperus procera forest (Fbj). Between

Wukro and Berahile (Ethiopia). Ap-

proximate altitude 2000 m. (October

2009). Photograph by I. Friis and

Sebsebe Demissew. Reproduced from

Biologiske Skrifter of the Royal Danish

Academy of Sciences and letters, Vol.

58, Fig 23D. 2010.

Figure 4.5 Evergreen bushland and

thicket in Biharagu (Rwanda). Photo-

graph taken by E. Munyaneza (Octo-

ber 2009).

Figure 4.6 Evergreen bushland was

the original vegetation type of most

of the Akagera National Park (Rwan-

da). Photograph by V. Minani (March

2007).

34

Figure 4.7 As a result from grazing,

the original evergreen bushland of

Akagera national park (Rwanda) has

changed to the alternative steady

state of biotic Acacia wooded grass-

land (We). Climbers growing on

Euphorbia candelabrum (right) can

initiate the vegetation succession to

evergreen bushland (see also Lebrun

[1947] and White [1983 p. 183];

and Photograph by V. Minani (March

2007).

Figure 4.8 Evergreen bushland in the

Maasai Mara (original mapping unit 24).

The photograph shows Diospyros abys-

sinica together with typical evergreen

bushland species of Euclea divinorum,

Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (synonym:

Olea africana). Person: C.G. Trapnell.

Photography by E.C. Trump.

35

4.2. VECEA region

Within the VECEA region, evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket occurs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda (Figure 4.8, see also Volume 6). We do not expect that this vegetation type occurs in Malawi, Zambia and the coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania.

Figure 4.8. Mapped distribution of Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket in the

VECEA region (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). Where this

vegetation type is not mapped in mosaics, it is depicted by dark green polygons. This vegetation

is also mapped as part of different vegetation mosaics (shown in greyish-brown). In Ethiopia, this

vegetation type occurs in mosaic with Afromontane undifferentiated forest (Fbu) and Afromon-

tane single-dominant Juniperus procera forest (Fbj). In Rwanda and adjacent sections in Uganda

(and possibly also Tanzania), the edaphic forest type of Lake Victoria Euphorbia dawei scrub forest

(fe) may occur is some places. Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket is an alterna-

tive steady state of biotic Acacia wooded grassland (We); light-green polygons depict where we

mapped this vegetation type in the VECEA region (as in Ethiopia).

36

In Ethiopia, evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket was origi-nally classified as “Transition between Afromontane vegetation and Acacia-Commiphora bushland on the Eastern Escarpment” (original mapping unit DAF-TR). It was originally in mosaic with Afromontane undifferentiated forest (Fbu) and Afromontane single-dominant Juniperus procera forest (Fbj); we included this vegetation mosaic in the VECEA map.

In Kenya, evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket was originally mapped by Trapnell et al. (1966, 1969, 1976, 1986; see also Trapnell and Brunt [1987]) as “upland evergreen and semi-deciduous bushland types”, “upland Acacia from evergreen and semi-deciduous bushland” and “in-termediate semi-evergreen thicket and associate types”. The distinction in the Kenyan Trapnell et al. (1966, 1969, 1976, 1986 maps between “upland evergreen and semi-deciduous bushland types” and “intermediate semi-evergreen thicket and associate types” corresponded to the phytochoristic distinction that White (1983) made between the Somalia-Masai centre of endemism and the Lake Victoria mosaic when describing evergreen bush-land (with “intermediate semi-evergreen thicket and associate types” corre-sponding the Lake Victoria variant; see also section 4.1). The only exception to the correspondence between “intermediate semi-evergreen thickets” and the Lake Victoria region that we spotted was the occurrence of a vegetation type of “intermediate thicket, eastern type” (mapping unit 60b) on vegeta-tion sheets 2 and 4. We have no details about this vegetation type, however.

Mapping units from the Range Management Handbook of Kenya that we reclassified as Evergreen bushland (Be) included evergreen bushland (origi-nal mapping units 10.1 and 10.2), evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland (mapping units 12.2 - 12.4; 12.1 was mapped as halophytic vegetation; 12.5 was a mosaic of evergreen bushland [Be] and deciduous bushland [Bd]), “Acacia gerrardii - Acacia nilotica - Croton deciduous and semi-deciduous bush-land” (mapping unit 13.2), “Euclea - Croton evergreen shrubland” (mapping unit 17.1) and “Croton semi-deciduous shrubland” (mapping unit 19.1).

In Rwanda, evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket corresponds to vegetation types that were originally described as “bosquets xérophiles” and “forêt sèches”. Both are defined as closed and semi-deciduous plant formations consisting of trees of intermediate height (usually less than 10 m) that occur in landscapes with wooded grasslands. “Bosquets xérophiles” occupy areas less than 1 ha, often contain spiny bushes and often occur on termite mounds on plains. “Forêt sèches” occupy areas larger than 1 ha and often occur on rocky soils or quartz (Bloesch et al. 2009 p. 649). White (1983 p. 182) lists Lebrun’s (1955) “bosquets xérophiles à Maerua mildbraedii et Car-issa edulis” and “bosquets xérophiles: association à Jasminum fluminense et Carissa edulis” as synonyms of Lake Victoria evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket.

For Uganda, we included areas that were originally mapped as the moist thicket subtype of “Undifferentiated moist semi-deciduous thicket” (origi-nal mapping unit G1) and the dry thicket subtype of “Undifferentiated de-ciduous thicket” (mapping unit V1).

37

We mapped evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket in Tanzania by applying the floristic regional boundaries that were specified for the veg-etation map of Africa (White 1983; see Volume 6).

Investigation of environmental distribution of evergreen and semi-ever-green bushland and thicket bushland and thicket in the VECEA region (Fig-ure 4.9; limits are for areas of the VECEA map where this vegetation type is not mapped as mosaic) shows that more than 90% of the samples occur in an interval from 1000 – 2250 m. The altitude interval of 1250 – 1500 m contains the highest number of samples (35.9%); this is well above the alti-tude interval of 500 – 750 m that contains the highest number of samples of deciduous bushland (Bd). Evergreen bushland (Be) generally receives be-tween 400 and 1400 mm annual rainfal (> 95% of samples). This is a wider range of rainfall than provided by White (1983, 500 – 1000 mm). However, the method of using rainfall intervals with widths of 200 mm (such as the 400 – 600 mm interval) seems to have led to an exageration of the general rainfall interval for most samples: only 4.3% of samples of Evergreen bush-land (Be) received less than 500 mm rainfall, which confirms the lower rain-fall limit reported by White (1983). The rainfall interval of 800 – 1000 mm contains the highest number of samples (41.8%) for this vegetation type. This interval is well above the rainfall interval of 200 – 400 mm that con-tains the highest number of samples for deciduous bushland (Bd; 39.1%). A comparison of environmental limits of mapped deciduous bushland (Bd) and evergreen bushland (Be) in the VECEA region leads us to the conclu-sion that potentially a considerable fraction of areas that are now mapped as deciduous bushland (Bd) could be evergreen bushland (Be) in reality.

38

(a)

(b)

(c)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

0 - 3 3 - 6 6 - 9 9 - 12 12 - 15 15 - 18 18 - 21 21 - 24 24 - 27 27 - 30 30 - 33


0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

100 300 500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300 2500 2700


0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

< 0 0 - 2.5 2.5 - 5 5 - 7.5 7.5 - 10 10 - 12.5 12.5 - 15 15 - 17.5 17.5 - 20 20 - 22.5 22.5 - 25 25 - 27.5 27.5 - 30 30 - 32.5 > 32.5



annual rainfall (c). Bars at the centre of each interval show the percentage of samples within

Evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket (Be, n = 17,889). Bars on left (open) show

the overall percentage of samples (n = 740,047). Bars on the right (black) show the percentages

of samples within bushlands or thickets (including all vegetation types that are described in this

volume, n =250,418).

39


Species assemblages were obtained from the following references:• Ethiopia: Friis et al. 2010. Species mentioned in Appendix 3 for “Tran-

sition between Afromontane vegetation and Acacia-Commiphora bush-land on the Eastern Escarpment” [DAF-TR] were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

• Kenya (columns “BeeK” and “BewK”): Species that were expected to occur in the vegetation type based on information from Beentje (1994), the Flora of Tropical East Africa and field experience from our Kenyan co-author (F. Gachathi) were coded “x”. Column “BeeK” was compiled for species expected to correspond to “East African evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket”. A suffix of “n” referred to species that were recorded for mapping units of the Range Management Handbook of Kenya that we reclassified as evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket. Column “BewK” was com-piled for species expected to correspond to “Lake Victoria evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket”.

• Rwanda: Bloesch et al. (2009). Species for which information on the ecology included information on ‘bosquets xérophiles’ or ‘forêt sèches’ were coded “x”. A suffix of “b” indicated that the ecology only in-cluded ‘bosquets xérophiles’. A suffix of “e” indicated that the species was only listed for floristic region 1C (south eastern zone with influ-ence from the vegetation of East Africa).

• Tanzania: White (1983 p. 129). Species that were listed for evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket in the Serengeti ecosystem or the adjacent evergreen bushland in Kenya were coded “x”.

• Uganda: (columns "BemU" and "BedU") Langdale-Brown et al. (1964). All species that were listed to occur in “Undifferentiated moist semi-deciduous thicket” in the Appendix were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species). In a separate column ("BedU"), species that were listed to occur in “Undifferentiated deciduous thicket” [V1] were also coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

Characteristic species were determined as:• Ethiopia: Those species that were mentioned in the description of the

vegetation type in the main text were coded as “C”.• Kenya: Species that were mentioned in names of vegetation types

from central and south-western Kenya that we classified as evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland were coded “C”.

• Rwanda: Characteristic species were coded “C”; these were genera or species mentioned by Lebrun (1956) or Prioul (1981).

• Tanzania: Species mentioned to be dominant near the Kenya border were coded “C”.

• Uganda: Species that were mentioned in the main reference text were coded “C”.

Within the information on assemblages, coding “f” indicates that there is informa-tion that the species potentially occurs in the vegetation type since it occurs in the focal country and in the same bushland type in other countries (see section 2.3).

40

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

eeK

B

ewK

B

emU

B

edU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya

sub

typ

e)(K

enya

su

bty

pe)

(Rw

and

a)(T

anza

nia

)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Aca

cia

abys

sini

ca

fx

ff

ff

f

Aca

cia

brev

ispi

ca

fC

nC

xx

CC

Aca

cia

drep

anol

obiu

mch

arac

teris

tic (l

iste

d fo

r bi

otic

Aca

cia

woo

ded

gras

slan

d)f

Cn

f

ff

f

Aca

cia

gerr

ardi

ich

arac

teris

tic (l

iste

d fo

r bi

otic

Aca

cia

woo

ded

gras

slan

d)f

Cn

xf

xf

x

Aca

cia

hock

iich

arac

teris

tic (l

iste

d fo

r bi

otic

Aca

cia

woo

ded

gras

slan

d)f

Cn

xf

ff

x

Aca

cia

kirk

iich

arac

teris

tic (l

iste

d fo

r bi

otic

Aca

cia

woo

ded

gras

slan

d)

xx

ff

ff

Aca

cia

laha

i

fx

x

ff

f

Aca

cia

mel

lifer

ano

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

(dec

iduo

us b

ushl

and)

fC

nf

f

ff

Aca

cia

nilo

tica

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

orde

cidu

ous

bush

land

)f

xnf

f

fx

Aca

cia

oerf

ota

f

xf

f

ff

Aca

cia

poly

acan

tha

f

xx

ff

ff

Aca

cia

sene

gal

char

acte

ristic

(lis

ted

for

biot

ic A

caci

a w

oode

d gr

assl

and)

fxn

xf

ff

C

Aca

cia

seya

lch

arac

teris

tic (l

iste

d fo

r bi

otic

Aca

cia

woo

ded

gras

slan

d)f

xC

f

ff

Aca

cia

tort

ilis

indi

cato

r (d

ecid

uous

bus

hlan

d)f

xnf

f

ff

Aca

cia

xant

hoph

loea

xf

f

Aco

kant

hera

opp

ositi

folia

char

acte

ristic

gen

us

fx

Aco

kant

hera

sch

impe

riin

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)C

xx

xf

ff

Alb

izia

am

ara

not

char

acte

ristic

(eda

phic

gra

ssla

nd w

ithin

dec

iduo

us b

ushl

and)

fxn

ff

ff

x

Alb

izia

ant

helm

intic

a

fx

f

ff

f

Alb

izia

cor

iaria

f

fC

f

xf

Alb

izia

pet

ersi

ana

ff

xf

ff

Alb

izia

zyg

ia

f

f

fx

x

Allo

phyl

us a

fric

anus

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

ff

xf

fx

C

Allo

phyl

us r

ubifo

lius

f

xx

xf

ff

Alo

e ke

dong

ensi

sin

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)

x

Ann

ona

sene

gale

nsis

f

xx

ff

ff

Ant

ides

ma

veno

sum

f

fx

f

xf

Apo

dyte

s di

mid

iata

f

xx

xef

ff

Asp

ilia

mos

sam

bice

nsis

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

ff

f

ff

f

Azi

ma

tetr

acan

tha

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xxb

e

ff

Bala

nite

s ae

gypt

iaca

f

xf

ff

fx

Tabl

e 4.

Spe

cies

com

posi

tion

of e

verg

reen

and

sem

i-eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and

and

thic

ket

(syn

onym

: eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and,

Be)

41

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

eeK

B

ewK

B

emU

B

edU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya

sub

typ

e)(K

enya

su

bty

pe)

(Rw

and

a)(T

anza

nia

)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Berb

eris

hol

stii

C

ff

f

ff

Berc

hem

ia d

isco

lor

C

ff

f

ff

Bers

ama

abys

sini

ca

ff

xf

ff

f

Bosc

ia a

ngus

tifol

ia

ff

fxb

ff

x

Brid

elia

brid

eliif

olia

ff

xf

Brid

elia

mic

rant

ha

fx

xf

ff

f

Brid

elia

scl

eron

eura

f

ff

f

xC

Cad

aba

farin

osa

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

orde

cidu

ous

bush

land

)f

fx

xbf

ff

Cal

oden

drum

cap

ense

char

acte

ristic

(tra

nsiti

on t

o A

from

onta

ne u

ndiff

eren

tiate

d fo

rest

)

xf

f

ff

Cal

otro

pis

proc

era

f

xf

f

ff

Can

thiu

m k

enie

nse

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

x

Can

thiu

m la

ctes

cens

x

xf

xf

Cf

Cap

paris

fas

cicu

laris

indi

cato

r (c

limbe

r)f

xx

xf

fx

Cap

paris

tom

ento

sain

dica

tor

(Lak

e V

icto

ria e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

xx

Cf

fx

Car

issa

spi

naru

min

dica

tor

fxn

xC

bx

xx

Cat

ha e

dulis

C

xf

ff

ff

Cis

sus

quad

rang

ular

isch

arac

teris

tic

xx

xf

f

Cis

sus

rotu

ndifo

liach

arac

teris

ticf

fx

f

xx

Cla

usen

a an

isat

a

fx

xxb

ff

f

Cle

rode

ndru

m m

yric

oide

s

xx

xxb

ff

f

Com

bret

um c

ollin

um

ff

ff

ff

x

Com

bret

um m

olle

f

xf

xf

ff

Com

mip

hora

afr

ican

ano

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

dec

iduo

us b

ushl

and)

xf

ff

ff

x

Cor

dia

mon

oica

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or d

ecid

uous

bus

hlan

d)f

xx

x

ff

Cor

dia

sine

nsis

nnot

cha

ract

eris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

deci

duou

s bu

shla

nd)

fx

f

ff

f

Cro

tala

ria a

gatifl

ora

f

xx

ff

ff

Cro

ton

dich

ogam

usin

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

xnx

xx

f

Cro

ton

mac

rost

achy

us

fx

xx

ff

f

Cus

soni

a ar

bore

a

fx

xxb

ff

f

Cus

soni

a ho

lstii

char

acte

ristic

(tra

nsiti

on t

o A

from

onta

ne u

ndiff

eren

tiate

d fo

rest

)C

xx

xbf

ff

Dic

hros

tach

ys c

iner

ea

ff

xf

ff

x

42

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

eeK

B

ewK

B

emU

B

edU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya

sub

typ

e)(K

enya

su

bty

pe)

(Rw

and

a)(T

anza

nia

)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Dod

onae

a vi

scos

ain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)C

xnx

ff

ff

Dom

beya

bur

gess

iae

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

x

ff

ff

Dom

beya

kirk

ii

ff

fx

ff

f

Dom

beya

rot

undi

folia

x

xx

f

ff

Dov

yalis

aby

ssin

ica

f

xx

f

ff

Dov

yalis

mac

roca

lyx

ff

xf

ff

Dra

caen

a el

lenb

ecki

ana

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

Cx

f

ff

Dry

pete

s ge

rrar

dii

char

acte

ristic

(tra

nsiti

on t

o A

from

onta

ne u

ndiff

eren

tiate

d fo

rest

)

xf

Cf

f

Elae

oden

dron

buc

hana

nii

char

acte

ristic

(tra

nsiti

on t

o A

from

onta

ne u

ndiff

eren

tiate

d fo

rest

)f

xf

xbx

ff

Eryt

hrin

a ab

yssi

nica

f

xx

ff

ff

Eryt

hroc

occa

bon

gens

isin

dica

tor

(Lak

e V

icto

ria e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

fx

xf

f

Eucl

ea d

ivin

orum

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

Cxn

xx

xx

f

Eucl

ea r

acem

osa

char

acte

ristic

gen

usC

xnx

xC

xf

Euph

orbi

a ab

yssi

nica

x

ff

f

ff

Euph

orbi

a ca

ndel

abru

min

dica

tor

(sca

tter

ed e

mer

gent

)f

xnx

fx

xC

Euph

orbi

a da

wei

Lake

Vic

toria

scr

ub f

ores

t

xf

ff

Euph

orbi

a tir

ucal

li

xx

xx

fx

x

Faga

rops

is a

ngol

ensi

s

ff

ff

ff

x

Faid

herb

ia a

lbid

a

fx

f

ff

f

Faur

ea r

oche

tiana

f

xf

xf

ff

Faur

ea s

alig

na

x

xf

ff

f

Ficu

s gl

umos

a

fx

xf

ff

f

Flac

ourt

ia in

dica

f

xx

xbf

ff

Flue

ggea

viro

sa

ff

fx

ff

f

Gar

cini

a bu

chan

anii

f

ff

xf

ff

Gar

cini

a liv

ings

tone

i

fx

f

ff

f

Gar

deni

a te

rnifo

lia

fx

xf

ff

f

Gar

deni

a vo

lken

sii

f

xf

f

ff

Gni

dia

subc

orda

tain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)

xx

f

f

Gre

wia

bic

olor

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

fx

x

ff

f

Gre

wia

mol

lis

fx

xf

fC

C

Gre

wia

sim

ilis

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xx

xC

bx

Cx

43

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

eeK

B

ewK

B

emU

B

edU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya

sub

typ

e)(K

enya

su

bty

pe)

(Rw

and

a)(T

anza

nia

)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Gre

wia

tem

bens

isch

arac

teris

ticx

xf

Gre

wia

ten

axno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

dec

iduo

us b

ushl

and)

ff

f

ff

x

Gre

wia

vill

osa

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or d

ecid

uous

bus

hlan

d)f

xf

f

ff

Har

rison

ia a

byss

inic

a

fx

xx

fx

C

Indi

gofe

ra s

waz

iens

is

x

x

ff

f

Jatr

opha

cur

cas

xf

f

ff

Juni

peru

s pr

ocer

ach

arac

teris

tic (t

rans

ition

to

Afr

omon

tane

und

iffer

entia

ted

fore

st)

Cxn

f

ff

f

Lann

ea f

ulva

ff

xf

ff

Lann

ea h

umili

sno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

chte

ristic

for

eda

phic

gra

ssla

nd w

ithin

dec

iduo

us

bush

land

)f

xf

ff

fx

Lann

ea r

ivae

f

xf

f

Lann

ea s

chim

peri

f

xf

ff

ff

Lann

ea s

chw

einf

urth

ii

fx

ff

xf

x

Lann

ea t

riphy

llano

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

chte

ristic

for

indi

cato

r fo

r de

cidu

ous

bush

land

)f

ff

f

fx

Leca

niod

iscu

s fr

axin

ifoliu

s

fx

x

ff

f

Lipp

ia k

ituie

nsis

xx

f

Mae

rua

decu

mbe

nsno

t ch

arac

teris

tic (i

ndic

ator

for

dec

iduo

us b

ushl

and)

fx

f

ff

f

Mae

rua

trip

hylla

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

fx

xxb

ff

Man

ilkar

a m

ochi

sia

xf

f

Mar

garit

aria

dis

coid

ea

ff

f

fx

f

May

tenu

s he

tero

phyl

lain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

xf

xbf

f

May

tenu

s se

nega

lens

is

fx

fxb

ff

f

May

tenu

s un

data

f

xf

xbf

ff

Mey

na t

etra

phyl

la

fx

f

ff

f

Ole

a eu

ropa

eain

dica

tor

(Ole

a eu

ropa

ea s

sp. c

uspi

data

, syn

onym

: Ole

a af

rican

a)C

xnx

Cx

ff

Onc

oba

spin

osa

f

xx

f

ff

Opi

lia c

ampe

stris

f

xf

f

Orm

ocar

pum

kirk

ii

x

f

f

Orm

ocar

pum

tra

chyc

arpu

m

fx

f

ff

f

Orm

ocar

pum

tric

hoca

rpum

f

xf

ff

ff

Osy

ris la

nceo

lata

f

xf

xf

ff

44

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

eeK

B

ewK

B

emU

B

edU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya

sub

typ

e)(K

enya

su

bty

pe)

(Rw

and

a)(T

anza

nia

)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Ozo

roa

insi

gnis

f

xnx

ff

ff

Papp

ea c

apen

sis

C

xnx

xbx

ff

Pave

tta

cras

sipe

s

fx

x

ff

f

Pave

tta

oliv

eria

na

ff

fx

ff

f

Phyt

olac

ca d

odec

andr

a

fx

ff

ff

f

Pist

acia

aet

hiop

ica

C

xf

f

ff

Pitt

ospo

rum

viri

diflo

rum

C

xf

xef

ff

Plec

tran

thus

bar

batu

s

fx

f

ff

f

Pleu

rost

ylia

afr

ican

a

x

ff

ff

f

Prem

na r

esin

osa

not

char

acte

ristic

(ind

icat

or f

or d

ecid

uous

bus

hlan

d)f

xf

f

ff

Psia

dia

punc

tula

tain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)x

x

f

Psyd

rax

parv

iflor

a

ff

fx

ff

f

Psyd

rax

schi

mpe

riana

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

fx

xx

ff

f

Pter

olob

ium

ste

llatu

min

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d, c

limbe

r)f

xx

ff

ff

Rham

nus

prin

oide

s

fx

ff

ff

f

Rham

nus

stad

do

fx

fxe

ff

f

Rhoi

ciss

us r

evoi

lii

ff

xx

ff

f

Rhoi

ciss

us t

riden

tata

f

xx

xf

xx

Rhus

long

ipes

f

ff

xbf

ff

Rhus

nat

alen

sis

indi

cato

rf

xx

xx

xf

Rhus

vul

garis

f

xx

xbf

ff

Rubu

s vo

lken

sii

f

xf

f

ff

Sarc

oste

mm

a vi

min

ale

char

acte

ristic

ff

fx

Schr

eber

a al

ata

char

acte

ristic

(tra

nsiti

on t

o A

from

onta

ne u

ndiff

eren

tiate

d fo

rest

)C

xnf

xbe

ff

f

Scle

roca

rya

birr

eano

t ch

arac

teris

tic (c

hara

cter

istic

for

eda

phic

gra

ssla

nd w

ithin

dec

iduo

us

bush

land

)f

xf

f

ff

Scut

ia m

yrtin

ain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d, c

limbe

r)f

xx

xf

xf

Secu

ridac

a lo

ngip

edun

cula

ta

fx

ff

ff

f

Senn

a di

dym

obot

rya

x

xf

ff

ff

Senn

a se

ptem

trio

nalis

fx

ff

ff

Senn

a si

ngue

ana

f

xf

ff

ff

Sola

neci

o cy

doni

ifoliu

s

x

fxb

ff

f

45

Spec

ies

Reg

ion

al s

tatu

sB

eeK

B

ewK

B

emU

B

edU

(see

sec

tio

n 2

.3)

(Eth

iop

ia)

(Ken

ya

sub

typ

e)(K

enya

su

bty

pe)

(Rw

and

a)(T

anza

nia

)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)(U

gan

da

sub

typ

e)

Sola

neci

o m

anni

i

fx

fxb

ff

f

Sola

num

acu

leas

trum

fx

ff

ff

Steg

anot

aeni

a ar

alia

cea

f

fx

ff

fx

Ster

eosp

erm

um k

unth

ianu

m

fx

x

ff

x

Stry

chno

s he

nnin

gsii

f

xf

x

ff

Stry

chno

s in

nocu

a

ff

fxb

ff

f

Stry

chno

s lu

cens

xf

Tarc

hona

nthu

s ca

mph

orat

usin

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d es

peci

ally

in d

istu

rbed

are

as)

Cx

x

ff

Tare

nna

grav

eole

nsin

dica

tor

(Lak

e V

icto

ria e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)x

xnx

xC

fx

Teph

rosi

a vo

gelii

xf

f

ff

Term

inal

ia b

row

nii

f

xnx

f

ff

Tetr

aden

ia r

ipar

ia

fx

xf

Tinn

ea a

ethi

opic

ain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

xx

f

fx

Turr

aea

mom

bass

ana

indi

cato

r (E

ast

Afr

ican

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

xx

f

Turr

aea

nilo

tica

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and)

ff

x

f

Vang

ueria

api

cula

ta

fx

xxb

fx

f

Vang

ueria

infa

usta

xx

xbf

ff

Vang

ueria

mad

agas

carie

nsis

x

xx

f

xf

Vepr

is n

obili

sch

arac

teris

tic g

enus

(syn

onym

: Tec

lea)

fxn

xx

CC

f

Vepr

is s

impl

icifo

liain

dica

tor

(Eas

t A

fric

an e

verg

reen

bus

hlan

d)f

xx

x

Vepr

is t

richo

carp

ach

arac

teris

tic g

enus

(syn

onym

: Tec

lea)

xn

xb

C

x

Vern

onia

bra

chyc

alyx

indi

cato

r (L

ake

Vic

toria

eve

rgre

en b

ushl

and,

clim

ber)

ff

xxb

fC

f

War

burg

ia u

gand

ensi

s

xf

f

ff

f

Woo

dfor

dia

unifl

ora

f

fx

ff

Xim

enia

am

eric

ana

f

xf

ff

ff

Zant

hoxy

lum

cha

lybe

um

fxn

fxb

ff

x

Zant

hoxy

lum

usa

mba

rens

e

Cf

ff

f

Zizi

phus

aby

ssin

ica

f

xx

ff

fC

Zizi

phus

mau

ritia

na

fx

f

ff

f

Zizi

phus

muc

rona

ta

fx

xf

xf

f

Zizi

phus

pub

esce

ns

fx

x

fx

f

46

5. Itigi thicket (edaphic vegetation type, bi)

5.1. Description

Itigi thickets are dense deciduous thickets that occur on specialized soils in various drier parts and towards the periphery of the Zambezian floristic region. Itigi thicket took its name from the Tanzanian village of Itigi (5º 42’ S, 34º 29’ E) where the most extensive manifestation of this vegetation type occurs (White 1983 p. 97).

The soil under Itigi thicket is sandy and varies in depth from 0.6 m to 3 m. It is less stony than many soils under miombo woodland(8) (Wm) and thereby favours the intensive root systems of thicket species. During the rainy season, the soil is well aerated, well supplied with water and soft. The soil dries out during the rainy season (at least in its upper layers) and then hardens considerably. (White 1983 p. 97). For these reasons, Itigi thicket is a vegetation type that is edaphically determined (White 1983 p. 49). Itigi thicket can only regenerate in gaps during periods of high rainfall (C. Ruffo, pers. comm.).

Itigi has a discontinuous distribution in the Zambezian region and occurs in Tanzania (central province), Zambia (in the depressions between Lake Mweru and the southern end of Lake Tanganyika) and a few localities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Related communities occur in Zambia (“Pemba thicket”, see below) and Zimbabwe (White 1983 p. 97).

In Tanzania, Itigi thicket is composed almost entirely of a 3 to 5 m canopy of shrubs that are deciduous for about four months each year. The shrubs have many branches that are interlaced overhead to form a thick continuous cover. The canopy is so dense that light is excluded and a ground layer is virtually absent. Itgi thicket is thornless and climbers are insignificant. It is sharply de-marcated from the surrounding miombo woodland (Wm) as there is no tran-sition zone to miombo woodland, although Brachystegia trees near the thicket are often stunted. The principal canopy species are Baphia burttii, Baphia massaiensis (this is also a characteristic species for the ‘mutemwa’ shrub layer of Baikiaea plurijuga Zambezian dry deciduous forest and scrub forest [Fn]), Burttia prunoides, Combretum celastroides (this is also a character-istic species for the ‘mutemwa’ shrub layer of Baikiaea plurijuga Zambezian dry deciduous forest and scrub forest [Fn] and a characteristic smaller tree species of Chipya woodland [Wy]), Grewia burttii, Pseudoprosopis fischeri and Tapiphyllum obtusifolium. Emergent species include Albizia petersiana (8 m), Bussea massaiensis (smaller) and Craibia brevicaudata (slightly taller). Euphorbia bilocularis is a large candelabra euphorbia that only occurs on termite mounds (White 1983 p. 97)).

White (1983) describes the “Pemba thicket” of Zambia as a thicket vegeta-tion type that occurs under similar edaphic circumstances as Itigi thicket. Similar to Itigi thicket, it is named after a village (16 32’ S, 27 22’ E). Pemba

8:The statement that soils under Itigi thicket are less stony than many soils under miombo woodland is not neces-sarily true (J. Timberlake, personal com-munication).

47

thicket is normally 6 to 7 m tall and almost impenetrable (except locally as a result of local fires or activities from wild pigs and buffaloes). Most thicket species are deciduous, but few species are evergreen. The most abundant thicket species that White (1983) listed include Acalypha chirindica (also a characteristic species for the ‘mutemwa’ shrub layer of Baikiaea plurijuga Zambezian dry deciduous forest and scrub forest [Fn]), Canthium burtii, Combretum celastroides (also characteristic in Tanzania and also a charac-teristic species for the ‘mutemwa’ shrub layer of Baikiaea plurijuga Zambez-ian dry deciduous forest and scrub forest [Fn] and a characteristic smaller tree species of Chipya woodland [Wy]), Haplocoelum foliolosum (also a characteristic species for Zambezian rupicolous bushland and thicket), Ry-tigynia umbellulata and Tarenna neurophylla (also a characteristic spe-cies for Zambezian rupicolous bushland and thicket).

Several emergent trees are heliophilous (‘sun-loving’) species that are unable to regenerate in the shade of the Pemba thicket, including Brachystegia spiciformis (miombo dominant [Wm]) Combretum collinum (also char-acteristic for Undifferentiated bushland [Wn] and Chipya woodland [Wy]), Pericopsis angolensis (also characteristic for miombo woodland [Wm] and other Zambezian woodland types) and Pterocarpus angolensis (also characteristic for miombo woodland [Wm] and other Zambezian woodland types). Margaritaria discoidea (also a characteristic species for Afromon-tane dry transitional forest [Fh]), Pteleopsis anisoptera and Strychnos potatorum (also a characteristic species of tall scrub forest [fs] that origi-nally occurred in the Ruzizi valley of Burundi and Rwanda) are expected to be able to regenerate within Itigi thicket, but they rarely emerge far above the canopy.

48

Figure 5.2 An open sandy strip separates

Itigi thicket (right) from Miombo wood-

land dominated by Brachystegia spici-

formis (Wm, left). Burtt et al. 1942 Pho-

tograph 39. Figure obtained from URL:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2256690.

Figure 5.3 Itigi thicket seen from the

central railway during colonial times (Tan-

zania). Burtt et al. 1942 Photograph 40.

Figure obtained from URL: http://www.

jstor.org/stable/2256690.

Figure 5.1 An elephant path within the

Itigi thicket (Tanzania). Burtt et al. 1942

Photograph 43. Figure obtained

from URL: http://www.jstor.org/sta-

ble/2256690.

49

5.2. VECEA region

Within the VECEA region, Itigi thicket only occurs in Tanzania and Zambia (Figure 5.4, see also Volume 6). We could not identify the “Pemba” thicket of Zambia on the map, although we checked around Pemba (16º 32’ S, 27º 22’ E).

Figure 5.4. Mapped distribution of Itigi thicket in the VECEA region (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi,

Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). Green polygons depict where we mapped this vegeta-

tion type. Some isolated patches occur between 32 and 33 degrees East on the south of the map

shown on the right

50

In Tanzania, Gillman (1949 p. 14) mapped and described Itigi thicket as one of the three “thickets of regional extent”. He describes it as a dense and fully closed thicket of coppicing shrubs of 2.5 to 5 m high that covers between 5000 and 6000 square kilometres. He mentions that the presence of Itigi thicket is a result from edaphic differences and that it is an impor-tant natural barrier against tsetse flies. Commenting on the distribution of miombo woodland (Wm), Gillman (1949) also indicates that the distribu-tion of Itigi thickets coincides with that of too well or too rapidly draining Pliocene duricrusts.

In Zambia, Fanshawe (1971 pp. 25 - 26) describes Itigi thicket in Zambia as a type of dry deciduous forest, although he also mentions that Trapnell used the name of “Bussea-Combretum thicket (mapping unit B3 (9))” for this “forest”. Itigi thicket has a very open overwood of deciduous or semi-deciduous emergents 6 - 12 m high characterized by Baphia massaiensis, Boscia angustifolia, Burttia prunoides, Bussea massaiensis, Diospyros mwe-roensis and Euphorbia candelabrum. The trees are often encrusted with lichens. About 25% of species also occur in the great Itigi thicket of Tanzania and a further 33% of species are floristically closely related. Conditions are also similar as in Tanzania where there is ample water during the rainy season and little or no water during the dry season as a result from impeded drainage (either by stones and rubble near the surface on soils on lowlands or by skel-etal stony soils on the gentle lower scarp slopes; Fanshawe 1971 p. 25. Total destruction of Itigi thicket leads to Chipya woodland that can not be distin-guished from the Chipya woodland (Cy) that results from total destruction of Marquesia dry evergreen forest (Fm; i.e. lake basin chipya; see Volume 2). Since Itigi thicket is highly sensitive to disturbance, there is no partial destruction catena (although Baphia massaiensis may be found as relic in Chipya woodland ; Fanshawe 1971 p. 26).

Investigation of environmental distribution of Itigi thicket in the VECEA region (Figure 5.5) shows that all samples occur in an interval from 750 – 1500 m. This altitude interval is in between those where most deciduous bushlands (Bd, 0 – 1500 m) and evergreen bushlands (Be, 1000 – 2250 m) occur. The altitude interval of 1250 – 1500 m contains the highest number of samples (49.9%); this is the same altitude interval that contains the high-est number of samples of evergreen bushland (Be; 35.9%). Evergreen bushland (Be) generally receives between 400 and 1200 mm annual rainfal (almost all samples); this is the same interval where most evergreen bush-land (Be) occurs. The rainfall interval of 600 – 800 mm contains the highest number of samples (65.3%) for this vegetation type. This interval is just be-low the rainfall interval of 800 – 1000 mm that contains the highest number of samples for evergreen bushland (Bd; 41.8%). 9: The coding of the Trapnell et al. (1950)

vegetation - soil map is based on the soil type with a suffix for the vegetation type. In the legend of the Fanshawe vegetation map (Edmonds 1976), an indicating is given that Itigi forest cor-responds to B3 (Bussea - Combretum thicket and associated open vegetation on soils of Lake Basin type [or the "Itigi thicket" of Tanzania, Trapnell et al. 1950 p. 19]).

51

(a)

(b)

(c)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

< 0 0 - 2.5 2.5 - 5 5 - 7.5 7.5 - 10 10 - 12.5 12.5 - 15 15 - 17.5 17.5 - 20 20 - 22.5 22.5 - 25 25 - 27.5 27.5 - 30 30 - 32.5 > 32.5


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0 - 3 3 - 6 6 - 9 9 - 12 12 - 15 15 - 18 18 - 21 21 - 24 24 - 27 27 - 30 30 - 33


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

100 300 500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300 2500 2700



annual rainfall (c). Bars at the centre of each interval show the percentage of samples within Itigi

thicket (bi, n = 1,552). Bars on left (open) show the overall percentage of samples (n = 740,047).

Bars on the right (black) show the percentages of samples within bushlands or thickets (including

all vegetation types that are described in this volume, n = 250,418).

52


Species assemblages were obtained from the following references:• Tanzania: White (1983 p. 97). All species listed were coded “C” (all

species were assumed to be characteristic species).• Zambia: Fanshawe (1971). Species listed for the species composi-

tion table for “Dry deciduous forest - Itigi forest” provided on pages 27 to 28 were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic spe-cies). Species listed in the main text to occur in the “Itigi Chipya” were coded “xc”.

• Pemba thicket: White (1983 p. 98). Species that were mentioned were coded “x”.

Characteristic species were determined as:• Tanzania: All species were assumed to be characteristic species.• Zambia: Species listed to occur as emergents were coded “C”.• Pemba thicket: Species that were not listed as heliophilous species

(species that do not regenerate in the shade of the thicket) were coded “C”.


53

Table 5. Species composition of Itigi thicket (edaphic vegetation type, bi)

SpeciesRegional status

Pemba thicket

(see section 2.3) (Tanzania) (Zambia)

Acacia polyacantha f xc

Acalypha chirindicaindicator (Pemba, also shrub layer [‘mutemwa’] of Baikiaea forest)

f x x

Afzelia quanzensis f xc

Albizia antunesiana f xc

Albizia petersiana indicator (Itigi, emergent) C

Baphia burttii indicator (Itigi) C

Baphia massaiensisindicator (Itigi, also shrub layer [‘mutemwa’] of Baikiaea forest)

C C xc

Boscia angustifolia f C

Brachystegia spiciformisindicator (Pemba, emergent, also domi-nant in Miombo woodland)

x

Burkea africana f xc

Burttia prunoides indicator (Itigi) C C

Bussea massaiensis indicator (Itigi, emergent) C C

Canthium burtii indicator (Pemba) C C

Cassia abbreviata f C

Cassipourea malosana f C

Combretum adenogonium f xc

Combretum celastroidesindicator (also shrub layer [‘mutemwa’] in Baikiaea forest and chipya woodland)

C C C

Combretum collinumindicator (Pemba, emergent, also undiffer-entiated woodland and Chipya woodland)

f xc x

Combretum zeyheri f C

Commiphora africana f C

Craibia brevicaudata indicator (Itigi, emergent) C f

Diospyros abyssinica f C

Diplorhynchus condylo-carpon

xc

Erythrophleum africanum f xc

Euphorbia bilocularis indicator (Itigi, only on termite mounds) C

Euphorbia candelabrum f C

Grewia burttii indicator (Itigi) C

Haplocoelum foliolosum indicator (Pemba) f x x

Landolphia kirkii f x

Lannea discolorindicator (Pemba, also in various types of Zambezian woodland)

x

Lannea humilis f x

Margaritaria discoidea indicator (Pemba, emergent) f x C

Parinari curatellifoliapositive indicator (Pemba, emergent, also various types of Zambezian woodland)

x

Peltophorum africanumcharacteristic (Pemba, emergent, also widespread in Zambezian termite-mound thicket)

x

Pericopsis angolensisindicator (Pemba, emergent, also various types of Zambezian woodland)

f xc x

Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia

f C xc

Pseudoprosopis fischeri indicator (Itigi) C x

Pteleopsis anisoptera indicator (Pemba, emergent) f C C

Pterocarpus angolensisindicator (Pemba, emergent, also various types of Zambezian woodland)

f xc x

54


Pemba thicket

(see section 2.3) (Tanzania) (Zambia)

Pterocarpus rotundifoliusindicator (Pemba, emergent, also undiffer-entiated woodland)

x

Rytigynia umbellulata indicator (Pemba) f x C

Sclerocarya birrea f xc

Strychnos potatorumcharacteristic (Pemba, emergent, also in Zambezian termite-mound thicket and rupicolous bushland and thicket)

C

Tapiphyllum obtusifolium indicator (Itigi) C

Tarenna neurophyllacharacteristic (Pemba, also rupicolous bushland and thicket)

f C x

Terminalia mollis f xc

Terminalia sericea f xc

Vangueria infausta f x

Vitex mombassae f x

Ximenia americana f x

Zanthoxylum chalybeum f x

55

6. Riverine thicket (edaphic vegetation type, br)

6.1. Description

White (1983) describes riparian forests (coded in VECEA as “fr”, see Vol-ume 2), but no riparian thickets.

6.2. Description

Within the VECEA region, riverine thicket was only described for Uganda. In the VECEA map, we mapped this vegetation type together with riverine forests (fr) and woodlands (wr).

Riverine thicket was originally mapped in Uganda as “riparian thicket” (orig-inal mapping unit G2). Langdale-Brown et al. (1964 pp. 53 - 54) describe that riverine thickets and riverine mixed thicket and woodlands occur as nat-ural climax communities on the banks of seasonal rivers in east and central Karamoja. They also describe communities of different species composi-tion (a “third phase”) that occur along the base of the Turkana escarpment and below the Chemorongit range.


Species assemblages were obtained from the following references:• Uganda: Langdale-Brown et al. (1964). All species that were listed

to occur in “Riparian moist thicket” (G2) in the Appendix were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

Characteristic species were determined as:• Uganda: species that were mentioned in the main reference text

were coded “C”.

Species assemblage information was provided in a separate column (“brU”) in the species assemblage table for riverine forest (fr, volume 2).

56

7. Montane Ericaceous belt (easily identifiable type, E)

7.1. Description

White (1983) refers to Afromontane evergreen bushland and thickets that occur on most of the higher African mountains and that characteristically occupy a large part of the Ericaceous mountain belt. They are also found on the crests and summits of smaller mountains (especially those that are situated close to the ocean or a large lake) or locally on shallow soils within the Afromontane forest belt. Where the ground is not very rocky and has been protected for several years, such as on wetter mountains as the Ru-wenzori Mts., almost impenetrable thickets of 3 to 13 m are formed. On drier and rocky slopes, the vegetation is an open community of bushes that is often discontinuous and merges into Afromontane shrubland (see below). Afromontane evergreen bushland and thicket varies greatly in floristic compo-sition, but species of the Blaeria, Erica and Vaccinium Ericaceae gen-era are nearly always present and sometimes exclusively dominant (White 1983 p. 167 - 168). Hedberg (1951 cited in Friis et al. 2010 p. 113) has docu-mented that an Ericaceous belt occurs on all the high mountains of eastern Africa.

Afromontane shrubland occurs on shallow soils and especially exposed rocky ridges. It is much shorter than Afromontane evergreen bushland and thicket and contains stunted invididuals that are dominant in the latter vege-tation type. However, Afromontane shrubland also contains species that are usually absent from Afromontane evergreen bushland and thicket (White 1983 p. 168).

Ericaceous vegetation occurs at a few places on the East African coast. Evergreen bushland dominated by Erica (synonym: Philippia) occurs on waterlogged sites of former lagoons or lake basins (White 1983 p. 188). In-terestingly, Syzygium cordatum is an associate that is listed both for Ericaceous vegetation on Mafia and Pemba islands (White 1983 p. 189) and for tall “elf-in” thickets (3 - 7 m) that occur on peaks in the Uluguru mountains (White 1983 p. 168). We did not include coastal Ericaceous vegetation types into the “montane Ericaceous belt” as coastal vegetation is clearly not associated with mountains.

57

Figure 7.1 Ericaceous belt with Erica

arborea forming woodland. The floor

is completely covered by ferns, mosses

and grasses. Bale Mountains (Ethio-

pia). Approximate altitude 3600 m.

Photograph by I. Friis and Sebsebe

Demissew (September 2005). Repro-

duced from Biologiske Skrifter of the

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and

letters, Vol. 58, Fig 29A. 2010.

Figure 7.2 Ericaceous belt with Erica

arborea forming woodland. This loca-

tion has more grass than the location

shown in Fig EA. Bale Mountains

(Ethiopia). Approximate altitude 3300

m. Photograph by I. Friis and Sebsebe

Demissew (September 2005). Repro-

duced from Biologiske Skrifter of the

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and

letters, Vol. 58, Fig 29C. 2010.

Figure 7.3 Ericaceous belt with burnt

vegetation. Numerous shoots (green)

appear from the burnt stumps of Erica

arborea. In between the Erica arborea

stumps and in the foreground, the

subshrub Alchemilla haumannii (grey-

ish-green) can be seen. Bale Moun-

tains (Ethiopia). Approximate altitude

3800 m. Photograph by I. Friis and

Sebsebe Demissew (September 2005).

Reproduced from Biologiske Skrifter of

the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences

and letters, Vol. 58, Fig 29B. 2010.

58

Left: Figure 7.4 The montane Erica-

ceous belt on the Sabyinyo volcano

(Rwandan side of the Virunga moun-

tains). Photograph by V. Minani (May

2007).

Figure 7.8 Erica kingaensis subsp. rug-

egensis, one of the Erica species of the

Ericaceous belt in Rwanda. Sabyinyo

volcano (Rwandan side of the Virunga

mountains). Photograph by V. Minani

(May 2007).

Right: Figure 7.5 Vaccinium stanleyi,

one of the Ericaceae species of the

Ericaceous belt in Rwanda. Sabyinyo

volcano (Rwandan side of the Virunga

mountains). Photograph by V. Minani

(May 2007).

Figure 7.7 Profile diagram of Afrom-

ontane Ericaceous bushland (“fruticée

sclérophylle à Ericaceae”, i.e. sclero-

phyl scrubland with Ericaceae). This

image was the only profile diagramme

mentioned by White (1983 p. 167) for

Afromontane evergreen bushland and

thicket. Vegetation similar to the Eri-

caceous belt occurs on the crests and

summits of some smaller mountains

as shown below. Lewalle 1972 Fig 28.

Figure obtained from URL URL: http://

www.jstor.org/stable/3667406

59

7.2. VECEA region

We did not distinguish between the bushland, thicket and shrubland variants of the Afromontane Ericaceous belts and described these communities collectively as the montane Ericaceous belt. Within the VECEA region, the Ericaceous veg-etation occurs in all countries (Figure 7.5, see also Volume 6). In Zambia, how-ever, we do not expect that typical montane Ericaceous belts occur.

Figure 7.5. Mapped distribution of the montane Ericaceous belt in the VECEA region (Ethiopia,

Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). Green polygons depict where we

mapped this vegetation type. In Malawi, the montane Ericaceous belt only occurs on Mt. Mulan-

je, in the south of this country. In Zambia we do not expect that montane Ericaceous belts occur.

60

In Ethiopia, the montane Ericaceous belt was originally described and mapped as “Ericaceous belt” (EB). Friis et al. (2010 p. 113) emphasize that vegetation in which Ericaceous species form an important component may occur at higher or lower altitudes than the “Ericaceous belt” that they mapped by the contour lines of 3000 and 3200 m (given the steepness of most of the slopes, using slight variations in altitudinal limits would not have resulted in large variations in the extend of this vegetation type on the map).

In Kenya, the montane Ericaceous belt was originally mapped as “high mountain scrub types, undifferentiated” (original mapping unit 15) and “tree heather, thicket and scrub” (original mapping unit 15a).

Shaxson (1976) included “Afro-alpine heath and moorland” in the legend of the vegetation and biotic communities map of Malawi, but indicated that this vegetation type was not mappable at a scale of 1 : 1,000,000. In the documentation of the map, Shaxson (1976) describes that the mon-tane shrubland and montane shrub grassland on the uppermost slopes of Mt. Mulanje can be regarded as belonging to the Ericaceous zone (citing Chapman and White 1970 p 71). He further mentions that no other site in Malawi harbours this vegetation type. We did not find Malawian references where species composition of this vegetation type was provided.

In Rwanda, the montane Ericaceous belt was originally described as “bru-yères (arborescents)”.

For Tanzania, Lovett (1993) mentions that Ericaceous belts occur on Mts. Kilimanjaro (3250 - 4100m), Meru (3000 - 3700m) and Hanang (> 3000 m). In the southern highlands there is no well defined Ericaceous belt, except possibly on Mt. Rungwe. On the west Usambara Mts., there are small patch-es on exposed ridge tops above 1800 m. In the Uluguru Mts., elfin mossy forest on ridgetops and forest edges above 2000 m with frequent mists is thought to have replaced the Ericaceous belt. He says that fire is an impor-tant factor for Ericaceous vegetation to replace montane forest.

In Uganda, the montane Ericaceous belt was originally described and de-scribed as “Ericaceae - Stoebe Heath” (original mapping unit A2). Stoebe kili-mandscharica is a species that was listed to be characteristic in Uganda. This is a species from the Asteraceae family that is as abundant as characteristic Ericaceae species (“true heathers”) on Mt. Elgon (Langdale-Brown et al. 1964 p. 33).

Ericaceous vegetation was not mapped or described by Fanshawe (1971) to occur in Zambia. However, in the legend of the Fanshawe vegetation map (Edmonds 1976) an indicating is given that Montane forest (mapping unit 8 in the Fanshawe map) is mapped within mapping unit E3 of the soil - vegetation map of Zambia (Trapnell et al. 1950). Trapnell et al.’s mapping unit E3 is “Philippia scrub - grassland on mountain summits”. This vegeta-tion type is described by Trapnell et al. (1950 p. 20) as scrub - grassland or moorland of Philippia milanjiensis (current name: Erica benguelensis) with Protea

61

and Vellozia sp. and also with short sedge or grass growth, a vegetation type that occurs on mountain summits in east Isoka District. Sheet II of the vegetation - soil map shows this mapping unit on the Matingi (10º 00’ S, 33º 22’ E) and Mwanda Mts (10º 34’ S, 33º 31’ E). White (1983 p. 99) mentions that Erica benguelensis is a characteristic member of Ericaceous montane shrubland that is also normally found in miombo scrub woodland near the altitudinal limits of miombo. However, Fanshawe (1971 p. 30) lists Philippia milanjiensis as one of the main shrub species of montane forests (Fa and Fb) and also as an occasional relic in fire-derived upland grassland. We conclude that Ericaceous vegetation does occur marginally in Zambia, but not as the typical Ericaceous belts that are described for other countries.

Investigation of environmental distribution of the montane Ericaceous belt in the VECEA region (Figure 7.6; limits are for areas of the VECEA map where this vegetation type is not mapped as mosaic) shows that more than 95% of the samples occur above 2750 m, well above the altitudinal ranges of other bushland and thicket vegetation types. The montane Ericaceous belt generally receives between 800 and 1800 mm annual rainfall (94.9% of sam-ples). The rainfall interval of 1000 – 1200 mm contains the highest number of samples (42.1%) for this vegetation type; no other bushland or thicket veg-etation type has such high rainfall interval where most of their samples occur.

62

(a)

(b)

(c)


annual rainfall (c). Bars at the centre of each interval show the percentage of samples within the

Afromontane Ericaceous belt (E, n = 2,316). Bars on left (open) show the overall percentage of

samples (n = 740,047). Bars on the right (black) show the percentages of samples within bush-

lands or thickets (including all vegetation types that are described in this volume, n =250,418).

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

< 0 0 - 2.5 2.5 - 5 5 - 7.5 7.5 - 10 10 - 12.5 12.5 - 15 15 - 17.5 17.5 - 20 20 - 22.5 22.5 - 25 25 - 27.5 27.5 - 30 30 - 32.5 > 32.5


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0 - 3 3 - 6 6 - 9 9 - 12 12 - 15 15 - 18 18 - 21 21 - 24 24 - 27 27 - 30 30 - 33


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

100 300 500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300 2500 2700


63


Species assemblages were obtained from the following references:• Ethiopia: Friis et al. (2010). Species mentioned in Appendix 3 for

“Ericaceous belt” [EB] were coded “x” (unless they were charac-teristic species).

• Kenya: Species that were expected to occur in Ericaceous vegeta-tion based on information from Beentje (1994), the Flora of Trop-ical East Africa and field experience from our Kenyan co-author (F. Gachathi) were coded “x”.

• Malawi: No details were obtained for this vegetation type. There-fore only floristic commitments were made (“f ”).

• Rwanda: Bloesch et al. (2009). All species that were mentioned to occur in floristic region 4 (volcano zone) and where a reference was made to ‘bruyères (arborescents)’ (10) in the description of their ecology were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

• Tanzania: Hedberg O. (1951). Vegetation belts on the East African mountains. Svensk Bot. Tiskr. 45: 140-202. All species that were mentioned to occur in the Ericaceous belts of Mts. Kilimanjaro and Meru were coded “C”.

• Uganda: Langdale-Brown et al. (1964). All species that were listed to occur in “Ericaceae-Stoebe Heath” (original mapping unit A2) in the Appendix were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

Characteristic species were determined as:• Ethiopia: Those species that were mentioned in the description of

the vegetation type in the main text were coded as “C”.• Kenya: Species from the Ericaceae family were coded “C”.• Malawi: No characteristic species were identified• Rwanda: Species from the Ericaceae family were coded “C”.• Tanzania: all species that were listed were assumed to be character-

istic species.• Uganda: species that were mentioned in the main reference text

were coded “C”.


10: 'bruyères' are defined as plant forma-tions that are mainly composed of Eri-caceae (Bloesch et al. 2009 p. 649).

64

Table 7. Species composition of the montane Ericaceous belt (easily identifiable type, E)


(Ethiopia) (Kenya) (Malawi) (Rwanda) (Tanzania) (Uganda)

Agauria salicifolia Ericaceae f C f C f f

Erica arborea Ericaceae C C f C x

Erica benguelensis Ericaceae f x f f C

Erica excelsa Ericaceae C C

Erica johnstoniana Ericaceae f C

Erica johnstonii Ericaceae f x

Erica kingaensis Ericaceae f f x

Erica milanjiana Ericaceae x

Erica trimera Ericaceae C C f C

Erica whyteana Ericaceae f x f

Adenocarpus mannii x x f f C f

Aeschynomene abyssinica x f f f f

Aloe arborescens x

Artemisia afra x

Asparagus africanus x f f

Asparagus racemosus x f f

Berberis holstii x x f f f

Buddleja polystachya x f f f

Cassipourea malosana x f f f f

Clematis hirsuta x f

Clematis simensis x x f f f

Clutia lanceolata x f

Conyza newii x f f f f

Cornus volkensii x f f f f

Crotalaria agatiflora x f f f f f

Discopodium eremanthum x x f f

Discopodium penninervium x f f f f f

Dombeya torrida x x f f f f

Eragrostis nindensis x

Faurea saligna x f f f x

Galium ruwenzoriense f f x

Gnidia glauca x x f f f

Hagenia abyssinica x x f f f f

Halleria lucida x f f f f

Helichrysum formosissimum x f

Hypericum quartinianum f x f f f

Hypericum revolutum C x f f f x

Inula confertiflora x

Juniperus procera x f f f f

Kotschya recurvifolia f x f f

Leonotis ocymifolia x f f

Lobelia rhynchopetalum x

Lobelia stuhlmannii f x

Maesa lanceolata f x f f f f

Maytenus undata x f f f f f

Morella salicifolia x

Myrsine africana x f f f f f

Nuxia congesta x f f f f f

65


(Ethiopia) (Kenya) (Malawi) (Rwanda) (Tanzania) (Uganda)

Olea capensis x f f f f f

Olinia rochetiana x f f f f f

Otostegia tomentosa x

Pavonia urens x f f f f f

Pittosporum abyssinicum x f f f f

Podocarpus latifolius x f f f f

Prunus africana f x f f f f

Rapanea melanophloeos C x f f f f

Rhamnus prinoides x f f f f f

Rhus glutinosa x

Rosa abyssinica x

Rubus volkensii x f f f

Senecio maranguensis x f f f

Senecio myriocephalus x

Sinarundinaria alpinaAfromontane bam-boo

x f f f f f

Solanecio gigas x

Sparrmannia ricinocarpa x f f f f

Struthiola thomsonii f x f f

Tephrosia aequilata x f f f f

Toddalia asiatica x f f f f f

Widdringtonia nodiflora C

66

8. Termitaria vegetation (easily identifiable and edaphic type, including bush groups around termitaria within grassy drain age zones, T)

8.1. Description

Termite mounds that are more than a metre in diameter are usually covered with dense thickets, unless they have been newly built or are in the final stages of erosion. The species composition of these thickets is completely different from that on the surrounding soil. This pattern is particularly true for the Zambezian region where the flora of termite-mound thickets is ex-tremely high (with more than 700 woody species occurring in this habitat in Zambia alone; White 1983 p. 98).

In the Zambezian region, the flat valley bottoms of larger rivers are usually flooded annually or at least seasonally waterlogged. Where the flood water is shallow, “bush-group” grassland often occurs extensively; this is a mosaic of pure grassland and termite-mound thicket (White 1983 p. 100). A simi-lar pattern occurs in the Zanzibar-Inhambane region where dense thickets occur in seasonally-waterlogged grasslands in parts of the coastal plain (White 1983 p. 189). This vegetation type could potentially be described as “wooded grassland”, but treating it as a patchwork or mosaic of pure edaphic grassland and sharply defined islands of thickets that occur on the better drained soils of old eroded termite mounds gives a better description of this vegetation type.

From the widespread species that White (1983) listed, the following species were encountered in the Zambian national reference: Carissa spinarum, Diospyros lycioides, Euphorbia candelabrum, Flueggea virosa, Pelto-phorum africanum, Rhoicissus tridentata, Steganotaenia araliacea and Strychnos potatorum (White 1983 p. 98).

67

Figure 8.1 Lateral view of a large

example of mopane termitaria veg-

etation. The large trees are mopane

(roughly 25 m). Photograph by C.

Dudley.

Figure 8.2 Termitaria vegetation in

Kafue National Park (Zambia). The

sides with a south-western exposure

carry trees, whereas the sides with

a north-eastern exposure carry only

grassland. Cole 1963 Fig 9. Image

obtained from URL: http://www.jstor.

org/stable/1794828.

68

Figure 8.3 T. Mopane termitaria veg-

etation result in a distinct pattern on

aerial photographs. Each patch of Mo-

pane termitaria vegetation is between

10 and 20 m in diameter. Photograph

by C. Dudley.

69

8.2. VECEA region

Within the VECEA region, termitaria vegetation was described for the na-tional vegetation maps of Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia (see Volume 6). This vegetation type was also described for the coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania (Zanzibar-Inhambane termite mounds in seasonally waterlogged grassland, White 1983 p. 189). Termitaria vegetation was only mapped in Zambia were it occurs as part of the “bush groups” mosaic (original map-ping unit 16, see below).

Figure 8.4 Mapped distribution of termitaria vegetation in the VECEA region (Ethiopia, Kenya,

Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). Greyish-brown polygons depict where this veg-

etation type was mapped as part of vegetation mosaics with edaphic grassland in Zambia. This

vegetation type has a much wider distribution than shown here.

70

In Malawi, the pattern of clumps with mopane (Colophospermum mopane) termi-taria vegetation that are scattered by wide grassy glades is distinctive in aerial photographs (Figure 8.3). This mopane termitaria vegetation occupies an area of a few hundred km2. Large (6 - 10 m diameter) termitaria contain a limited but repetitive number of species, with several large (20 – 25 m) Colophospermum mopane as dominant canopy trees. Most termitaria are inactive and in decline as a result to erosion. The termitaria appear regularly dispersed and are separated by wide grassy glades on soil which generally remains saturated during the rainy season. The average woody tree cover in these landscapes is considerable great-er than 10% and smaller than 40% (C. Dudley, personal observations).

Information on species composition for Malawi was restricted to mopane termitaria since these have been studied in detail by our Malawian co-author (C. Dudley). Termitaria occur in other vegetation types in Malawi such as flood plains, riverine vegetation or Zambezian dry deciduous forest (Fn). In these other termitaria, Colophospermum mopane seldom, if ever, occurs (C. Dudley, personal observations).

Gillman (1949 pp. 24-25) indicates that termitaria vegetation (he uses the synonym of “thickets on termite mounds”) occur as “intrazonals” (11) in permanent swamp vegetation in Tanzania. Gillman (1949 p. 28) also indi-cates that termite-mound thickets occur in miombo woodland (Wm), Un-differentiated woodland (Wn) and edaphic grassland (g).

In Zambia, termitaria vegetation was described separately by habitat includ-ing: (i) miombo woodland [Wm] termitaria; (ii) Kalahari woodland [Wk] ter-mitaria; (iii) mopane woodland [Wo] termitaria; (iv) undifferentiated woodland [Wn] termitaria; (v) riparian [fr] termitaria; and (vi) bush groups. On the Zam-bian vegetation sheets, termitaria vegetation corresponds to mapping unit 16 of “Termitary associated vegetation, and bush groups within grassy drain-age zones”. This mapping unit is represented on the original map partially by polygons and partially by a point layer (this layer corresponds to small areas of less than 500 m width that were not mapped [by polygons] but [where] their presence was indicated by a smaller overprinted mapping unit number within a circle).

In the description of termitaria vegetation, Fanshawe (1971 p. 61) describes “bush group grassland” as an edaphic grassland type (with characteristic grass species of Loudetia simplex) that is found on riverine flats and dambo margins and that has scattered termitaria. However, on the back side of the vegetation sheets of the vegetation map that Fanshawe prepared (Edmonds 1976), “bush groups” are defined as (i) either bush groups that are based on termitaria along the margins of seepage dambo and floodplain (as in Chin-sali and Kaoma Districts); (ii) or bush groups that are not based on termi-taria but are isolated patches of Kalahari woodland (Wk, original mapping unit 13) on slight elevations surrounded by grassland.

In the VECEA map, we first made the assumption that the polygon parts of the original mapping unit 16 only corresponded to “bush groups within grassy drainage zones”. We further assumed that polygons of mapping

11: Gillman (1949) defines intrazonals as vegetation types that occur as a re-sult of rapid alterations of geological, edaphic or anthropogenic conditions under a uniform climate, but that could not be represented on the Tanzanian map.

71

unit 16 that occurred on Kalahari soils and associated vegetation types of the Trapnell et al. (1950) soil - vegetation map corresponded to the isolated patches of Kalahari woodland (Wk) surrounded by grassland. Where poly-gons of mapping unit did not occur on Kalahari soils, we mapped these ar-eas as mosaics of termitaria on edaphic grasslands (“T/g”; see Volume 6).

In the coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania, termitaria vegetation was de-scribed as Zanzibar-Inhambane termite mounds in seasonally waterlogged grassland (White 1983 p. 189; see also section 8.1).


Species assemblages were obtained from the following references:• Malawi: Information was obtained from earlier field work of our

Malawian colleague (Cornell Dudley, unpublished data). Species listed for “Colophospermum mopane clump (termitaria) wooded grass-land” were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

• Zambia: Fanshawe (1971). Species listed for the species composi-tion table for “termitaria” provided on pages 58 to 60 were coded “x” (unless they were characteristic species).

• Coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania: White (1983 p. 189). Tree species listed to occur on dense thickets on termite-mounds in seasonally waterlogged grassland within the Zanzibar-Inhambane region were coded “C”.

Characteristic species were determined as:• Malawi: Species identified to be present as large trees (20 - 30 m)

were coded as “C”.• Zambia: Common species listed for the upper storey of miombo

termitaria were coded “Cm”, for Kalahari termitaria “Ck”, for Mo-pane termitaria “Co”, for Munga termitaria (i.e. Undifferentiated woodland [Wn]) “Cn” and for Riparian termitaria “Cr”.

• Coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania: All species were assumed to be characteristic (“C”).


72

Table 8.5. Species composition of termitaria vegetation (T)


(Malawi) (Zambia) (coast)(see section 2.3)

Abutilon angulatum f x

Acacia gerrardii x f

Acacia nigrescens x Co

Acacia nilotica x f

Albizia amara Cmo

Albizia anthelmintica x x f

Allophylus africanus x x

Antidesma venosum x f

Apodytes dimidiata Cr f

Balanites aegyptiaca x

Bauhinia petersiana x

Berchemia discolor f x f

Boscia angustifolia Cm f

Boscia salicifolia x f

Capparis tomentosa f x f

Carissa spinarumwidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

x f

Cassia abbreviata x x f

Colophospermum mopane dominant species of Mopane woodland C Co

Combretum imberbe Ckn f

Combretum molle Cm f

Commiphora africana x

Dalbergia melanoxylon x x f

Dichrostachys cinerea x f

Diospyros consolatae thickets on termite mounds C

Diospyros cornii emergent trees on termite mounds C

Diospyros lycioideswidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

x

Diospyros mespiliformis f Ck f

Dobera glabra emergent trees on termite mounds x C

Dombeya kirkii f x

Dombeya rotundifolia x

Entandrophragma caudatum x

Erythrina abyssinica Cm f

Erythrophleum suaveolens Cr f

Euclea divinorum x f

Euclea natalensis thickets on termite mounds x C

Euclea racemosa x f

Euphorbia candelabrumwidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

Cm f

Ficus sycomorus x f

Flacourtia indica x f

Flueggea virosawidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

x f

Garcinia livingstonei Cor f

Grewia bicolor x x

Kigelia africana f x f

Kirkia acuminata f Co

Landolphia kirkii x f

Lannea discolor x

73


(Malawi) (Zambia) (coast)(see section 2.3)

Lannea schweinfurthii x Cno f

Lonchocarpus capassa f x f

Manilkara mochisia emergent trees on termite mounds x Cn C

Margaritaria discoidea x f

Markhamia obtusifolia x f

Markhamia zanzibarica x Co f

Maytenus senegalensis x f

Olea europaea(Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata, synonym: Olea africana)

x f

Oncoba spinosa x

Oxytenanthera abyssinica (bamboo species indigenous to Africa) x

Parinari curatellifolia Cr f

Peltophorum africanumwidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

Cn f

Phoenix reclinata palm species x f

Phytolacca dodecandra x

Piliostigma thonningii x f

Psydrax parviflora x

Pterocarpus angolensis x f

Rhoicissus tridentatawidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

x f

Rhus tenuinervis x

Schinziophyton rautanenii x

Senna singueana x f

Sideroxylon inerme thickets on termite mounds x C

Steganotaenia araliaceawidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

x

Sterculia africana Co f

Sterculia quinqueloba x x f

Strychnos lucens x

Strychnos potatorumwidespread species in Zambezian termite-mound thicket

Ckn

Syzygium cordatum Cr f

Syzygium guineense Cr f

Tamarindus indica emergent trees on termite mounds x x C

Thespesia garckeana Cm

Uapaca kirkiana x

Uapaca nitida x f

Uapaca sansibarica x f

Vitex doniana x f

Ximenia americana x f

Zanthoxylum chalybeum x f

Ziziphus mucronata x Cmno f

74

9. Zambezian rupicolous bushland and thicket (edaphic vegetation type, not mapped)

9.1. Description

Rocky outcrops often support a distinctive type of vegetation such as on granite ‘kopjes’ (‘small heads’) that occur in the Zambezian region. Several species also occur on termite mounds (White 1983 pp. 98 - 99).

9.2. VECEA region

Within the VECEA region, we did not map Zambezian rupicolous bush-land and thicket separately because it was not mapped separately on any of the national maps that we used.. We assume that the vegetation type occurs in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia as these countries belong (partially) to the Zambezian floristic region.

Gillman (1949 pp. 24-25) indicates that rupiculous bushland and thicket (he uses the synonym of “inselberg vegetation”) occur as “intrazonals” (defined as vegetation types that occur as a result of rapid alterations of geological, edaphic or anthropogenic conditions under a uniform climate, but that could not be represented on the map) in woodland.

Rupiculous bushland and thicket also occurs in countries other than Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. For example, Porembski et al. (1997) describe the vegetation of inselbergs, quarzitic outcrops and ferricretes in Rwanda and the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire).


Species assemblages were obtained from the following reference:White (1983 pp. 98 - 99). Species listed were coded “x”.

Characteristic species were not identified

75

Table 9. Species composition of Zambezian rupicolous bushland and thicket (edaphic vegetation

type, not mapped)


Afzelia quanzensis emergents

Bauhinia petersiana widely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers

Canthium burtii widely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers

Canthium lactescens widely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers

Cassia abbreviata widely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers

Diospyros mespiliformis emergents

Entandrophragma caudatum emergents

Euclea natalensiswidely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers (also Zambezian termite-mound thicket)

Euphorbia candelabrumwidely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers (also Zambezian termite-mound thicket)

Kirkia acuminata emergents

Lannea discolor widely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers

Sclerocarya birrea emergents

Steganotaenia araliaceawidely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers (also Zambezian termite-mound thicket)

Strychnos potatorumwidely distributed smaller trees, bushes and climbers (also Zambezian termite-mound thicket)

76

References

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Bekele-Tesemma A. (2007). Useful trees of Ethiopia: identification, propagation and management in 17 agroecological zones. World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.

Bloesch, U., Troupin, G. & Derungs, N. (2009) Les plantes ligneuses du Rwanda. Shaker Verlag, Aachen.

Burgess, N. D. & Clarke, G.P. (2000) Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa. International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland.

Burtt et al. 1942 Burtt Memorial Supplement: Some East African Vegetation Communi-ties

B. D. Burtt, C. H. N. Jackson, W. H. Potts, Author(s)Source: Journal of Ecology, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Feb., 1942), pp. 65-146Published by: British Ecological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2256690 .Accessed: 27/05/2011 06:07

CGIAR-CSI. 2008. CGIAR-CSI SRTM 90m DEM Digital Elevation Database, version 4. CGIAR Consortium for Spatial Information (CGIAR-CSI). URL: http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/Index.asp.

Chapman, J. D. & White, F. (1970). The evergreen forests of Malawi. Commonwealth Foresty Institute. University of Oxford.

Cole 1963 Vegetation and Geomorphology in Northern Rhodesia: An Aspect of the Distribution of the Savanna of Central AfricaAuthor(s): Monica M. ColeSource: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 129, No. 3 (Sep., 1963), pp. 290-305Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1794828 .Accessed: 27/05/2011 06:37

Edmonds A. C. R. and Fashawe DB 1976. Vegetation map. The republic of Zambia. 9 Sheets. Government of the republic of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. Comment: we expect that this map was mainly prepared by DB Fanshawe and should therefore ideally be referred to as the Fanshawe – Edmonds vegetation map, although Fanshawe’s name is not mentioned on the map. Note also that the back side of the map refers to Fanshawe (1971) for a detailed description of vegetation types, whereas Fanshawe (1971 p. 2) mentions that “A map showing the territorial distribution of the vegetation types proposed in this article, prepared largely from aerial photographs, will be published shortly”.

Fanshawe, D.B. (1971) The Vegetation of Zambia. The Government Printer, Lusaka.

77

Fanshawe D. B. 1982. Useful trees of Zambia for the agriculturist. Ministry of Lands and Nat-ural Resources, Republic of Zambia.

Friis, I., Demissew, S., & Van Breugel, P. 2010. Atlas of the potential Vegetation of Ethiopia. Biologiske Skrifter (Biol.Skr.Dan.Vid.Selsk.) 58: 307.

Gillman, C. 1949. A Vegetation-Types Map of Tanganyika Territory. Geographical Review 39: 7-37.

GRASS Development Team. 2010. Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS GIS) Software. Open Source Geospatial Foundation, USA. URL: http://grass.osgeo.org.Hedberg O. (1951). Vegetation belts on the East African mountains. Svensk Bot. Tiskr. 45: 140-202.

Herlocker, D. J., Shaabani, S., & Wilkes, S. 1993. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 5: Isiolo district. Re-public of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Herlocker, D. J., Shaabani, S., & Wilkes, S. 1994a. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 6: Baringo district. Re-public of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Herlocker, D. J., Shaabani, S., & Wilkes, S. 1994c. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 8: West Pokot Dis-trict. Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Herlocker, D. J., Shaabani, S., & Wilkes, S. 1994d. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 9: Turkana District. Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Herlocker, D. J., Shaabani, S., Stephens, A., & Mutuli, M. 1994b. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 7: Elgeyo Marak-wet district. Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Hijmans, R. J., Cameron, S. E., Parra, J. L., Jones, P. G., & Jarvis, A. 2005. Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology 25: 1965-1978.

Howard, P.C. & Davenport, T.R.B. (eds), 1996. Forest Biodiversity Reports. Vols 1-33. Uganda Forest Department, Kampala. Comment: we used the information that was available from The Uganda Forest Department Biodiversity Database (Viskanic 1999).

Katende A., Birnie A. & Tengnas B. (1995). Useful trees and shrubs for Uganda. Identification and management for agricultural and pastoral communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit, Nairobi.

Langdale-Brown, I., Osmaston, H. A., & Wilson, J. G. 1964. The vegetation of Uganda and its bearing on land-use. pp. 157 + maps (scale 1:500,000): vegetation (4 sheets), current land use, range resources, ecological zones, rainfall. Government of Uganda, Kampala.

78

Lewalle 1972 Les etages de vegetation du Burundi occidental Author(s): J. Lewalle Source: Bulletin du Jardin botanique national de Belgique / Bulletin van de National Plantentuin van België, Vol. 42, No. 1/2, (Jun. 30, 1972), pp. 1-247 Published by: National Botanic Garden of Belgium Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3667406 Accessed: 14/04/2008 10:07

Lebrun J. 1955. Esquisse de la vegetation du Parc National de la Kagera. Exploration du Parc National de la Kagera. Mission J. Lebrun (1937-38), vol 2, p. 1 – 89. Inst. Parcs Nat. Congo belge.

Lebrun, J. (1956) La Végétation et les territoires botaniques du Ruanda-Urundi. Les Natu-ralistes Belges 37, 230 - 256.

Lind E. M. & Morrison, M. E. S. 1974. East African vegetation. Longman Goup Ltd, London.

Lovett, J.C. (1993) Temperate and tropical floras in the mountains of eastern Tanzania. Op-era Bot. 121, 217 - 227.

Maundu P.M. & Tengnas T. (2005). Useful trees and shrubs for Kenya. World Agroforestry Centre.

Mbuya L., Msanga H., Ruffo C., Birnie A. & Tengnas B. (1994). Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania. Identification, propagatation and management for agricultural and pastoral communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit, Nairobi.

Nduwayezu, J.,B., Ruffo, C.,K., Minani, V., Munyaneza, E., and Nshutiyayesu, S. 2009. Know Some Useful Trees and Shrubs for Agriculture and Pastoral Com-munities of Rwanda. Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IRST), Butare, Rwanda, 264 pp. ISBN 978 99912-0-869-5)

Porembski S., E. Fischer, N. Biedinger (1997) Vegetation of Inselbergs, Quarzitic Outcrops and Ferricretes in Rwanda and Eastern Zaire (Kivu) Author(s): Source: Bulletin du Jardin botanique national de Belgique / Bulletin van de National Plantentuin van België, Vol. 66, No. 1/2 (Jul. 15, 1997), pp. 81-99 Published by: National Botanic Garden of Belgium Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3668138

Prioul C. 1981. Planche XI: Végétation. In: Prioul C and Sirven P. Atlas du Rwanda. Kigali: Ministère de la coopération de la République Française pour le compte de l’ Université de Kigali. Comment: it is possible that this map was prepared by Georges Troupin because Prioul (1981) men-tions that the description of the vegetation types of “planche XI” was “based on a synthesis of results obtained from Georges Troupin”.

Schwartz H. J., Shaabani S. and Walther D. 1991. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol II, 1: Marsabit District. Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Shaabani, S., Welsh, M., Herlocker, D. J., & Walther, D. 1992a.

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Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 2: Samburu District. Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Shaabani, S., Welsh, M., Herlocker, D. J., & Walther, D. 1992b. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 3: Wajir District. Re-public of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Shaabani, S., Welsh, M., Herlocker, D. J., & Walther, D. 1992c. Range Management Handbook of Kenya. Vol. II, 4: Mandera district. Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Livestock Development (MOLD), Range Management Division, Nairobi, Kenya.

Shaxson, T. F. 1976. A map of the distribution of major biotic communities in Malawi. Soci-ety of Malawi Journal 30: 36-48 + map.

Simute, Samuel; Phiri , C.L. and Tengnäs, Bo. 1998. Agroforestry Extension Manual for Eastern Zambia. Nairobi, Kenya: Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA), Swedish International De-velopment Cooperation Agency (Sida), 1998 (Regional Land Manage-ment Unit (RELMA) Technical Handbook Series; 17)

Trapnell C.G., Martin J.D., Allan W. (1950). Vegetation – soil map of Northern Rhodesia. Lusaka, Govt. Printer, 20 pages.

Viskanic, P. (1999) The Uganda Forest Department Biodiversity Database, Natural Forest Management and Conservation Project, Kampala.

White, F. 1983. The vegetation of Africa: a descriptive memoir to accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa by F White. Nat-ural Resources Research Report XX. p. 356. U. N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris.

Williamson J. 1975. Useful Plants of Malawi. University of Malawi. (Species that are listed for which the wood is used for timber or other purposes.)

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Appendices

Appendix 1. Information on useful tree species

Information on useful tree species was obtained from the following refer-ences listing “useful trees and shrub species” for one of the seven VECEA countries: Bekele-Tesemma (2007), Fanshawe (1982), Katende et al. (1995), Maundu and Tengnas (2005), Mbuya et al. (1994), Nduwayezu et al. (2009), Simute et al. (1998) and Williamson (1975). From the Williamson (1975) reference, only species were included for which it was mentioned that their wood was used for timber or other purposes.

Table A1. Information on useful tree species that occur in at least one of the bushland potential

natural vegetation types. x = species was listed in the reference on useful tree species in the

country; f = there is floristic information that the species occurs in the country; w = the only flo-

ristic information is from the UNEP-WCMC species database

Species Ethiopia Kenya Malawi Rwanda Tanzania Uganda Zambia

Abutilon angulatum f f x f f

Acacia abyssinica x x f x f x

Acacia asak x

Acacia brevispica x x x f f

Acacia bussei x f f

Acacia drepanolobium f x f f

Acacia elatior x f

Acacia gerrardii f x f x f x f

Acacia hockii f f f x x x f

Acacia kirkii x x f f f

Acacia lahai x x f x

Acacia mellifera f x x x f

Acacia nigrescens x f f

Acacia nilotica x x f x x f

Acacia oerfota x f f f

Acacia paolii f x

Acacia polyacantha x x x x x f x

Acacia senegal x x x x x f

Acacia seyal x x f x x f

Acacia sieberiana x f f x f x x

Acacia tortilis x x x x f

Acacia xanthophloea x f x

Acokanthera oppositifolia x f f

Acokanthera schimperi x x x x f

Adansonia digitata x x f x x

Adenium obesum f x x

Afzelia quanzensis x x x w x

Agauria salicifolia f f f x w f f

Albizia amara f x f x x f x

Albizia anthelmintica f x f f f f

Albizia antunesiana f f f x

82


Albizia coriaria f x f x f

Albizia petersiana f f x f f

Albizia zygia f f x

Allophylus africanus f f f x f f f

Allophylus rubifolius f f f x f f f

Annona senegalensis x f f x x x x

Antidesma venosum f x f f f f

Apodytes dimidiata x x x x f f f

Balanites aegyptiaca x x f x x x

Balanites glabra f x f

Balanites rotundifolia f x x

Baphia massaiensis f x

Bauhinia petersiana f x x

Berberis holstii x f f f f

Berchemia discolor x x x x f x

Bersama abyssinica x x f x x x f

Boscia angustifolia f f w x f f w

Boscia coriacea f x f f

Boscia salicifolia f f f x f f

Boswellia microphylla f x

Boswellia neglecta f x f f

Boswellia papyrifera x f f

Boswellia rivae x f

Brachystegia spiciformis x x x x

Bridelia brideliifolia f x f f

Bridelia micrantha x x x x x x x

Bridelia scleroneura f f x f f

Buddleja polystachya x x f f

Burkea africana w x x f x

Cadaba farinosa w x f x f

Calodendrum capense x f x x

Calotropis procera x f f f

Canthium lactescens f f x f f f

Capparis tomentosa x x f x f f f

Carissa spinarum x x f x x x f

Cassia abbreviata x f f x

Cassipourea malosana f x f f f f

Catha edulis x f f w x x f

Clausena anisata f x f x w f f

Clerodendrum myricoides f x f f f

Colophospermum mopane x x

Combretum aculeatum x x f f

Combretum adenogonium f f f x f f

Combretum collinum x x f x f x f

Combretum imberbe x f x

Combretum molle x x f x x x x

Combretum zeyheri f x f f

Commiphora africana x x f x x x x

Commiphora erythraea x

Commiphora habessinica x f f f f f

83


Commiphora myrrha f x

Commiphora rostrata f x

Cordeauxia edulis x x

Cordia monoica f x x x

Cordia sinensis f x x x f

Cornus volkensii x f x f f

Crotalaria agatiflora f x f f f f

Croton macrostachyus x x f f x x f

Cussonia arborea f f f x x f x

Cussonia holstii f x f f f

Dalbergia melanoxylon x x x x x f

Delonix elata f x x f f f

Dichrostachys cinerea x x x x x x x

Diospyros abyssinica x x f w f x f

Diospyros mespiliformis x x x x x x

Diospyros scabra f x f

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon f x

Discopodium penninervium x f f f f x

Dobera glabra x x f

Dodonaea viscosa x x f x x x f

Dombeya kirkii f f f f f x f

Dombeya rotundifolia f x x x x f x

Dombeya torrida x x w x f x

Dovyalis abyssinica x x w f x

Dovyalis macrocalyx x f f f x f

Elaeodendron buchananii f x f x f f f

Embelia schimperi x x f f f f f

Entada abyssinica x x f x x x f

Entandrophragma caudatum x f

Erica arborea x f f f f

Erythrina abyssinica x x x x x x x

Erythrina burttii x f

Erythrina melanacantha f x f

Erythrophleum africanum w f w x

Erythrophleum suaveolens f x f x f

Euclea divinorum f x f f x f f

Euclea natalensis f x f f

Euclea racemosa x f f x f f f

Euphorbia abyssinica x f w f f

Euphorbia candelabrum x x w x f x w

Euphorbia tirucalli x x f x x x x

Fagaropsis angolensis x x f f x f w

Faidherbia albida x x x x x x

Faurea rochetiana f f x f f f

Faurea saligna x x x f x x

Ficus glumosa f f f f f x f

Ficus sycomorus x x f x x x x

Flacourtia indica x x f x x x x

Flueggea virosa x x f x f f f

Garcinia buchananii f f w f f x x

84


Garcinia livingstonei f x f x f f

Gardenia ternifolia x f x f f

Gardenia volkensii x x f f

Grewia bicolor x x f x x x f

Grewia mollis f f f f x f

Grewia similis f f x x f

Grewia tembensis f x

Grewia tenax f x f f

Grewia villosa x x x f

Hagenia abyssinica x x f x x x f

Harrisonia abyssinica f x f f f f f

Hypericum quartinianum x f f f f f

Hypericum revolutum x f f x f f f

Hyphaene compressa f x f

Hyphaene thebaica x

Indigofera swaziensis f x f

Jatropha curcas x x f x f x f

Juniperus procera x x x x x

Kedrostis gijef x f

Kigelia africana x x x x x x x

Kirkia acuminata x f x

Landolphia kirkii x f f f

Lannea alata x f

Lannea discolor x x

Lannea fulva x x f x

Lannea humilis f f x f f f

Lannea rivae f x f

Lannea schimperi f x f x f f f

Lannea schweinfurthii f x x x x x x

Lannea triphylla f x f f

Lawsonia inermis x x x f

Lecaniodiscus fraxinifolius f x f f f f

Leptadenia hastata f x

Lippia kituiensis x f

Lonchocarpus capassa x x x

Maerua decumbens f x f f

Maesa lanceolata x f x x f x f

Manilkara mochisia x f f f

Manilkara sulcata x f

Margaritaria discoidea f x f f x f

Markhamia obtusifolia f x x f x

Markhamia zanzibarica f x f f f

Maytenus senegalensis x x x x f f f

Maytenus undata f f f f f x f

Melia volkensii f x f

Meyna tetraphylla f x f f

Morella salicifolia x x

Moringa oleifera x x x f x x

Moringa stenopetala w x

Myrsine africana f x f f f f f

85


Newtonia hildebrandtii x f f

Nuxia congesta x x x x f x f

Olea capensis x x f f x x f

Olea europaea x x x x x x f

Olinia rochetiana x f f x f x f

Oncoba spinosa x x x f f f

Opilia campestris f x f

Ormocarpum kirkii x f f f

Ormocarpum trachycarpum f f x f

Ormocarpum trichocarpum f f f x f f

Osyris lanceolata f x x x f

Otostegia integrifolia x

Oxytenanthera abyssinica x x x x x

Ozoroa insignis f x x x x x f

Pappea capensis f x f x x f f

Parinari curatellifolia x x x x x x

Parkinsonia aculeata x x x x

Pavetta crassipes f x f f

Pavetta oliveriana x f f f f

Pericopsis angolensis x f x x

Phoenix dactylifera x x f

Phoenix reclinata x x w x x x x

Phytolacca dodecandra x f f f f x f

Piliostigma thonningii x x x f x x x

Pistacia aethiopica f x f f

Pittosporum viridiflorum x f f f f x f

Plectranthus barbatus f x f f

Pleurostylia africana f f x f f f

Podocarpus latifolius x x x x x f

Populus ilicifolia x w

Premna resinosa f x f f

Prunus africana x x x x x x f

Pseudolachnostylis maprounei-folia

f x x

Psydrax parviflora f f f x f f f

Psydrax schimperiana x f f x f f f

Pterocarpus angolensis x x x

Pterolobium stellatum f f f x f f f

Rapanea melanophloeos f f f x f x f

Rhamnus prinoides x f f x f f f

Rhamnus staddo x x f f f

Rhoicissus revoilii x f f f f f f

Rhoicissus tridentata x x f f f f f

Rhus glutinosa x

Rhus longipes f f f x f f f

Rhus natalensis x x f x f f f

Rhus tenuinervis f x f f f

Rhus vulgaris x x f f f f f

Rosa abyssinica x

Rubus volkensii f x f f

Saba comorensis f x

86


Salvadora persica x x f x f f

Schinziophyton rautanenii x f x

Schrebera alata f x f f f x f

Sclerocarya birrea x x x x x x

Scutia myrtina f x f x f f f

Searsia retinorrhoea x

Securidaca longipedunculata x f f f x x f

Senecio hadiensis f f f f x

Senna alexandrina x f

Senna didymobotrya x f f x f x f

Senna septemtrionalis f f x f f f

Senna singueana f x f x f f x

Sideroxylon inerme x f

Sinarundinaria alpina x x x x f x

Solanecio cydoniifolius f f f x

Solanecio mannii f x w f f x w

Solanum aculeastrum f f f f x

Spirostachys venenifera x f

Steganotaenia araliacea x f f f f x f

Sterculia africana x x f x x

Sterculia quinqueloba x f x x

Stereospermum kunthianum x x f x x f

Strychnos henningsii x x f f f f

Strychnos innocua x f f x x x x

Strychnos lucens f x f f

Syzygium cordatum x x f x x x

Syzygium guineense x x x x x x x

Tamarindus indica x x x x x x

Tamarix aphylla x f

Tamarix nilotica f x f

Tarenna graveolens f f x f f

Tephrosia vogelii f f x f f x

Terminalia brownii x x x x

Terminalia mollis x f f f f

Terminalia orbicularis f x

Terminalia prunioides f x f f

Terminalia sericea x x x

Terminalia spinosa f x x f

Tetradenia riparia f x f

Thespesia garckeana f f x x

Thylachium thomasii x

Uapaca kirkiana x x x

Uapaca nitida x f x

Uapaca sansibarica f f f x

Uvaria scheffleri x f f

Vangueria apiculata f x f x f f f

Vangueria infausta x f x x f f

Vangueria madagascariensis f x f x f

Vepris nobilis x x f x x x f

Vitex doniana x x x f f x x

87


Vitex mombassae x x

Warburgia ugandensis x x f x x

Woodfordia uniflora x f f

Ximenia americana x x x x x x x

Zanthoxylum chalybeum f x f x x x f

Zanthoxylum usambarense f x f f

Ziziphus abyssinica f x f f f x x

Ziziphus mauritiana x x f x f x

Ziziphus mucronata x x f x x f f

Ziziphus pubescens x f f f f f

Ziziphus spina-christi x f f f

88

Appendix 2. Information on synonyms

We used a consistent naming system for all the species that were listed in this volume. The table immediately below shows how we reclassified some of the species that we encountered in national references. Note that we did not always use the most current name (mainly as a result of trying to use the same names of species listed in the Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) database (URL http://www.prota4u.org/).

Table A2. Correspondence between species names as listed in the VECEA documentation and

some synonyms of these species

Synonym Species in VECEA

Acacia albida Faidherbia albida

Acacia giraffae Acacia erioloba

Acacia nubica Acacia oerfota

Acacia oliveri Acacia senegal

Adhatoda schimperiana Justicia schimperiana

Adina microcephala Breonadia salicina

Afrocarpus dawei Podocarpus usambarensis

Afrocarpus gracilior Podocarpus falcatus

Afrocrania volkensii Cornus volkensii

Afrosersalisia cerasifera Synsepalum cerasiferum

Agarista salicifolia Agauria salicifolia

Albizia fastigiata Albizia adianthifolia

Albizia maraguensis Albizia schimperiana

Aningeria adolfi-friedericii Pouteria adolfi-friedericii

Aningeria altissima Pouteria altissima

Aningeria pseudoracemosa Pouteria pseudoracemosa

Annona chrysophylla Annona senegalensis

Anthocleista zambesiaca Anthocleista grandiflora

Antiaris usambarensis Antiaris toxicaria

Arundinaria alpina Sinarundinaria alpina

Azanza garckeana Thespesia garckeana

Bauhinia macrantha Bauhinia petersiana

Bauhinia thonningii Piliostigma thonningii

Bequaertiodendron natalense Englerophytum natalense

Blepharis caloneura Blepharis maderaspatensis

Breonadia microcephala Breonadia salicina

Bridelia scleeroneuroides Bridelia scleroneura

Byrsocarpus orientalis Rourea orientalis

Canthium frangula Canthium glaucum

Canthium rubrocostatum Psydrax parviflora

Canthium schimperanum Psydrax schimperiana

Canthium vulgare Psydrax parviflora

Carapa grandiflora Carapa procera

Carissa edulis Carissa spinarum

Cassia didymobotrya Senna didymobotrya

Cassia floribunda Senna septemtrionalis

Cassine buchananii Elaeodendron buchananii

Cassipourea celliottii Cassipourea malosana

Cassipourea congensis Cassipourea malosana

89


Cassipourea ruwensorensis Cassipourea ruwensoriensis

Celtis durandii Celtis gomphophylla

Celtis wightii Celtis philippensis

Cephaelis peduncularis Psychotria peduncularis

Chlorophora excelsa Milicia excelsa

Cleistanthus milleri Cleistanthus polystachyus

Cola microcarpa Cola greenwayi

Coleus barbatus Plectranthus barbatus

Combretum binderianum Combretum collinum

Combretum mechowianum Combretum collinum

Commiphora zimmermannii Commiphora eminii

Conopharyngia holstii Tabernaemontana pachysiphon

Cordia ovalis Cordia monoica

Cordia rothii Cordia sinensis

Crassocephalum mannii Solanecio mannii

Cryptosepalum pseudotaxus Cryptosepalum exfoliatum

Cylicodiscus battiscombei Newtonia paucijuga

Diospyros bussei Diospyros consolatae

Dodonaea angustifolia Dodonaea viscosa

Dombeya bagshawei Dombeya buettneri

Dombeya goetzenii Dombeya torrida

Dombeya leucoderma Dombeya torrida

Dombeya mukole Dombeya kirkii

Dovyalis engleri Dovyalis abyssinica

Ekebergia rueppelliana Ekebergia capensis

Ekebergia senegalensis Ekebergia capensis

Erythrina tomentosa Erythrina abyssinica

Erythrophleum guineense Erythrophleum suaveolens

Euclea latidens Euclea racemosa

Euclea schimperi Euclea racemosa

Eugenia bukobensis Eugenia capensis

Euphorbia obovalifolia Euphorbia abyssinica

Excoecaria venenifera Spirostachys venenifera

Fagara chalybea Zanthoxylum chalybeum

Ficus burkei Ficus thonningii

Ficus capensis Ficus sur

Ficus congensis Ficus trichopoda

Ficus dekdekana Ficus thonningii

Funtumia latifolia Funtumia africana

Gardenia jovis-tonantis Gardenia ternifolia

Gardenia spatulifolia Gardenia volkensii

Grewia platyclada Grewia flavescens

Grumilea megistosticta Psychotria mahonii

Hagenia anthelmintica Hagenia abyssinica

Haplocoelum gallaense Haplocoelum foliolosum

Harrisonia occidentalis Harrisonia abyssinica

Heeria reticulata Ozoroa insignis

Hexalobus monopetalanthus Hexalobus monopetalus

Hippocratea parvifolia Loeseneriella parvifolia

Hypericum keniense Hypericum revolutum

Hypericum lanceolatum Hypericum revolutum

90


Hyphaene parvula Hyphaene coriacea

Hyphaene ventricosa Hyphaene petersiana

Hypoestes verticillaris Hypoestes forskaolii

Iboza riparia Tetradenia riparia

Khaya nyasica Khaya anthotheca

Kigelia aethiopum Kigelia africana

Lannea stuhlmannii Lannea schweinfurthii

Lepisanthes senegalensis Aphania senegalensis

Lovoa brownii Lovoa trichilioides

Macaranga kilimandscharica Macaranga capensis

Macaranga pynaertii Macaranga spinosa

Maerua edulis Maerua decumbens

Maerua subcordata Maerua decumbens

Markhamia acuminata Markhamia zanzibarica

Markhamia platycalyx Markhamia lutea

Memecylon buchananii Warneckea sansibarica

Memecylon sansibaricum Warneckea sansibarica

Mimusops fruticosa Mimusops obtusifolia

Mimusops ugandensis Mimusops bagshawei

Mitragyna rubrostipulata Hallea rubrostipulata

Mitragyna stipulosa Hallea stipulosa

Mondia whytei Mondia whitei

Morus excelsa Milicia excelsa

Myrsine melanophloeos Rapanea melanophloeos

Nesogordonia parvifolia Nesogordonia holtzii

Nuxia usambarensis Nuxia floribunda

Ochna longipes Ochna holstii

Olea africana Olea europaea

Olea chrysophylla Olea europaea

Olea hochstetteri Olea capensis

Olea welwitschii Olea capensis

Olinia usambarensis Olinia rochetiana

Ostryoderris stuhlmannii Xeroderris stuhlmannii

Osyris abyssinica Osyris lanceolata

Osyris compressa Osyris lanceolata

Ozoroa reticulata Ozoroa insignis

Pachystela brevipes Synsepalum brevipes

Pachystela msolo Synsepalum msolo

Phyllanthus discoideus Margaritaria discoidea

Piptadeniastrum buchananii Newtonia buchananii

Pittosporum malosanum Pittosporum viridiflorum

Pittosporum mildbraedii Pittosporum viridiflorum

Pittosporum rhodesicum Pittosporum viridiflorum

Pittosporum spathicalyx Pittosporum viridiflorum

Plectronia schimperiana Psydrax schimperiana

Podocarpus gracilior Podocarpus falcatus

Podocarpus milanjianus Podocarpus latifolius

Popowia obovata Friesodielsia obovata

Pterocarpus antunesii Pterocarpus lucens

Pterocarpus holstii Pterocarpus tinctorius

Pterocarpus stolzii Pterocarpus tinctorius

91


Pterolobium lacerans Pterolobium stellatum

Pygeum africanum Prunus africana

Rapanea pulchra Rapanea melanophloeos

Rauvolfia inebriens Rauvolfia caffra

Rauvolfia obliquinervis Rauvolfia caffra

Rauvolfia oxyphylla Rauvolfia caffra

Rhodognaphalon schumannianum Bombax rhodognaphalon

Rhoicissus erythrodes Rhoicissus tridentata

Rinorea ardisiiflora Rinorea angustifolia

Rinorea gracilipes Rinorea angustifolia

Rubus rigidus Rubus apetalus

Sambucus africana Sambucus ebulus

Sapium bussei Excoecaria bussei

Sapium ellipticum Shirakiopsis elliptica

Sclerocarya caffra Sclerocarya birrea

Scutia commersonii Scutia myrtina

Securinega virosa Flueggea virosa

Senecio mannii Solanecio mannii

Sideroxylon diospyroides Sideroxylon inerme

Smilax kraussiana Smilax anceps

Strychnos mellodora Strychnos mitis

Syzygium parvifolium Syzygium guineense

Tabernaemontana angolensis Tabernaemontana pachysiphon

Tabernaemontana holstii Tabernaemontana pachysiphon

Tabernaemontana johnstonii Tabernaemontana stapfiana

Teclea fischeri Vepris trichocarpa

Teclea nobilis Vepris nobilis

Teclea simplicifolia Vepris simplicifolia

Teclea trichocarpa Vepris trichocarpa

Terminalia aemula Terminalia sambesiaca

Trema guineensis Trema orientalis

Trichilia volkensii Lepidotrichilia volkensii

Trichocladus malosanus Trichocladus ellipticus

Vangueria acutiloba Vangueria madagascariensis

Vernonia ampla Vernonia myriantha

Vitex amboniensis Vitex ferruginea

Xeromphis nilotica Catunaregam nilotica

Ximenia caffra Ximenia americana

92

Appendix 3. Information on botanical families

Table A3. Species arranged by family or subfamily (species from the Fabaceae family were listed

separately for the Caesalpinioideae,MimosoideaeandPapilionoideaesubfamilies)

Family Species

Acanthaceae Ecbolium amplexicaule

Thunbergia guerkeana

Amaranthaceae Sericocomopsis hildebrandtii

Sericocomopsis pallida

Anacardiaceae Lannea alata

Lannea discolor

Lannea fulva

Lannea humilis

Lannea rivae

Lannea schimperi

Lannea schweinfurthii

Lannea triphylla

Ozoroa insignis

Pistacia aethiopica

Rhus glutinosa

Rhus longipes

Rhus natalensis

Rhus tenuinervis

Rhus vulgaris

Sclerocarya birrea

Searsia retinorrhoea

Annonaceae Annona senegalensis

Uvaria scheffleri

Apiaceae Steganotaenia araliacea

Apocynaceae Acokanthera oppositifolia

Acokanthera schimperi

Adenium obesum

Carissa spinarum

Diplorhynchus condylocarpon

Landolphia kirkii

Saba comorensis

Araliaceae Cussonia arborea

Cussonia holstii

Arecaceae Hyphaene compressa

Hyphaene thebaica

Phoenix dactylifera

Phoenix reclinata

Asclepiadaceae Calotropis procera

Leptadenia hastata

Pergularia daemia

Sarcostemma viminale

Asteraceae Artemisia afra

Aspilia mossambicensis

Bothriocline glomerata

Conyza newii

93

Family Species

Asteraceae Helichrysum formosissimum

Inula confertiflora

Psiadia punctulata

Senecio hadiensis

Senecio maranguensis

Senecio mariettae

Senecio myriocephalus

Solanecio cydoniifolius

Solanecio gigas

Solanecio mannii

Tarchonanthus camphoratus

Vernonia brachycalyx

Balanitaceae Balanites aegyptiaca

Balanites glabra

Balanites rotundifolia

Berberidaceae Berberis holstii

Bignoniaceae Kigelia africana

Markhamia obtusifolia

Markhamia zanzibarica

Stereospermum kunthianum

Bombacaceae Adansonia digitata

Boraginaceae Cordia monoica

Cordia sinensis

Burseraceae Boswellia microphylla

Boswellia neglecta

Boswellia papyrifera

Boswellia rivae

Commiphora africana

Commiphora campestris

Commiphora edulis

Commiphora erythraea

Commiphora habessinica

Commiphora mollis

Commiphora myrrha

Commiphora rostrata

Commiphora schimperi

Canellaceae Warburgia ugandensis

Capparidaceae Boscia angustifolia

Boscia coriacea

Boscia salicifolia

Cadaba farinosa

Cadaba heterotricha

Capparis fascicularis

Capparis tomentosa

Maerua decumbens

Maerua deinhardtiorum

Maerua triphylla

Thylachium thomasii

Celastraceae Catha edulis

Elaeodendron buchananii

94

Family Species

Maytenus heterophylla

Maytenus senegalensis

Maytenus undata

Pleurostylia africana

Chrysobalanaceae Parinari curatellifolia

Clusiaceae Garcinia buchananii

Garcinia livingstonei

Hypericum quartinianum

Hypericum revolutum

Combretaceae Combretum aculeatum

Combretum adenogonium

Combretum celastroides

Combretum collinum

Combretum imberbe

Combretum molle

Combretum zeyheri

Pteleopsis anisoptera

Terminalia brownii

Terminalia mollis

Terminalia orbicularis

Terminalia parvula

Terminalia prunioides

Terminalia sericea

Terminalia spinosa

Connaraceae Burttia prunoides

Cornaceae Cornus volkensii

Cucurbitaceae Gerrardanthus lobatus

Kedrostis gijef

Cupressaceae Juniperus procera

Widdringtonia nodiflora

Dracaenaceae Dracaena ellenbeckiana

Ebenaceae Diospyros abyssinica

Diospyros consolatae

Diospyros cornii

Diospyros lycioides

Diospyros mespiliformis

Diospyros scabra

Euclea divinorum

Euclea natalensis

Euclea racemosa

Ericaceae Agauria salicifolia

Erica arborea

Erica austronyassana

Erica benguelensis

Erica excelsa

Erica johnstoniana

Erica johnstonii

Erica kingaensis

Erica milanjiana

Erica trimera

95

Family Species

Erica whyteana

Euphorbiaceae Acalypha chirindica

Euphorbiaceae Antidesma venosum

Bridelia brideliifolia

Bridelia micrantha

Bridelia scleroneura

Bridelia taitensis

Clutia lanceolata

Croton dichogamus

Croton macrostachyus

Drypetes gerrardii

Erythrococca bongensis

Euphorbia abyssinica

Euphorbia bilocularis

Euphorbia candelabrum

Euphorbia dawei

Euphorbia grandicornis

Euphorbia nyikae

Euphorbia quinquecostata

Euphorbia robecchii

Euphorbia scheffleri

Euphorbia tirucalli

Flueggea virosa

Givotia gosai

Jatropha curcas

Margaritaria discoidea

Monadenium invenustum

Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia

Schinziophyton rautanenii

Spirostachys venenifera

Uapaca kirkiana

Uapaca nitida

Uapaca sansibarica

Flacourtiaceae Dovyalis abyssinica

Dovyalis macrocalyx

Flacourtia indica

Oncoba spinosa

Icacinaceae Apodytes dimidiata

Pyrenacantha malvifolia

Lamiaceae Erythrochlamys spectabilis

Leonotis ocymifolia

Otostegia integrifolia

Otostegia tomentosa

Plectranthus barbatus

Tetradenia riparia

Tinnea aethiopica

Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae Afzelia quanzensis

Bauhinia petersiana

Bauhinia taitensis

Brachystegia spiciformis

96

Family Species

Burkea africana

Bussea massaiensis

Caesalpinia trothae

Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae Cassia abbreviata

Colophospermum mopane

Cordeauxia edulis

Delonix elata

Erythrophleum africanum

Erythrophleum suaveolens

Parkinsonia aculeata

Peltophorum africanum

Piliostigma thonningii

Pterolobium stellatum

Senna alexandrina

Senna didymobotrya

Senna septemtrionalis

Senna singueana

Tamarindus indica

Leguminosae: Mimosoideae Acacia abyssinica

Acacia asak

Acacia brevispica

Acacia bussei

Acacia drepanolobium

Acacia elatior

Acacia gerrardii

Acacia hockii

Acacia kirkii

Acacia lahai

Acacia mellifera

Acacia nigrescens

Acacia nilotica

Acacia oerfota

Acacia paolii

Acacia polyacantha

Acacia reficiens

Acacia senegal

Acacia seyal

Acacia sieberiana

Acacia thomasii

Acacia tortilis

Acacia xanthophloea

Albizia amara

Albizia anthelmintica

Albizia antunesiana

Albizia coriaria

Albizia petersiana

Albizia zygia

Dichrostachys cinerea

Entada abyssinica

Faidherbia albida

97

Family Species

Newtonia hildebrandtii

Pseudoprosopis fischeri

Leguminosae: Papilionoideae Adenocarpus mannii

Aeschynomene abyssinica

Leguminosae: Papilionoideae Baphia burttii

Baphia massaiensis

Craibia brevicaudata

Crotalaria agatiflora

Dalbergia melanoxylon

Erythrina abyssinica

Erythrina burttii

Erythrina melanacantha

Indigofera swaziensis

Kotschya recurvifolia

Lonchocarpus capassa

Ormocarpum kirkii

Ormocarpum trachycarpum

Ormocarpum trichocarpum

Pericopsis angolensis

Platycelyphium voense

Pterocarpus angolensis

Pterocarpus rotundifolius

Tephrosia aequilata

Tephrosia vogelii

Liliaceae Aloe arborescens

Aloe kedongensis

Asparagus africanus

Asparagus racemosus

Lobeliaceae Lobelia rhynchopetalum

Lobelia stuhlmannii

Loganiaceae Buddleja polystachya

Nuxia congesta

Strychnos henningsii

Strychnos innocua

Strychnos lucens

Strychnos potatorum

Lythraceae Lawsonia inermis

Woodfordia uniflora

Malphigiaceae Caucanthus albidus

Malvaceae Abutilon angulatum

Pavonia urens

Thespesia garckeana

Entandrophragma caudatum

Melia volkensii

Turraea mombassana

Turraea nilotica

Melianthaceae Bersama abyssinica

Moraceae Ficus glumosa

Ficus sycomorus

Moringaceae Moringa oleifera

98

Family Species

Moringa stenopetala

Myricaceae Morella salicifolia

Myrsinaceae Embelia schimperi

Maesa lanceolata

Myrsine africana

Myrsinaceae Rapanea melanophloeos

Myrtaceae Syzygium cordatum

Syzygium guineense

Olacaceae Ximenia americana

Olea capensis

Olea europaea

Schrebera alata

Oliniaceae Olinia rochetiana

Opiliaceae Opilia campestris

Passifloraceae Adenia globosa

Pedaliaceae Sesamothamnus rivae

Phytolaccaceae Phytolacca dodecandra

Pittosporaceae Pittosporum abyssinicum

Pittosporum viridiflorum

Poaceae Eragrostis nindensis

Oxytenanthera abyssinica

Sinarundinaria alpina

Podocarpaceae Podocarpus latifolius

Polygalaceae Securidaca longipedunculata

Portulacaceae Calyptrotheca somalensis

Calyptrotheca taitensis

Proteaceae Faurea rochetiana

Faurea saligna

Ranunculaceae Clematis hirsuta

Clematis simensis

Rhamnaceae Berchemia discolor

Rhamnus prinoides

Rhamnus staddo

Scutia myrtina

Ziziphus abyssinica

Ziziphus mauritiana

Ziziphus mucronata

Ziziphus pubescens

Ziziphus spina-christi

Rhizophoraceae Cassipourea malosana

Rosaceae Hagenia abyssinica

Prunus africana

Rosa abyssinica

Rubus volkensii

Rubiaceae Canthium burtii

Canthium keniense

Canthium lactescens

Carphalea glaucescens

Galium ruwenzoriense

Gardenia ternifolia

99

Family Species

Gardenia volkensii

Hymenodictyon parvifolium

Meyna tetraphylla

Pavetta crassipes

Pavetta oliveriana

Psydrax parviflora

Rubiaceae Psydrax schimperiana

Rytigynia umbellulata

Tapiphyllum obtusifolium

Tarenna graveolens

Tarenna neurophylla

Vangueria apiculata

Vangueria infausta

Vangueria madagascariensis

Rutaceae Calodendrum capense

Clausena anisata

Fagaropsis angolensis

Toddalia asiatica

Vepris nobilis

Vepris simplicifolia

Vepris trichocarpa

Zanthoxylum chalybeum

Zanthoxylum usambarense

Salicaceae Populus ilicifolia

Salvadoraceae Azima tetracantha

Dobera glabra

Dobera loranthifolia

Salvadora persica

Santalaceae Osyris lanceolata

Sapindaceae Allophylus africanus

Allophylus rubifolius

Dodonaea viscosa

Haplocoelum foliolosum

Lecaniodiscus fraxinifolius

Pappea capensis

Sapotaceae Manilkara mochisia

Manilkara sulcata

Sideroxylon inerme

Scrophulariaceae Halleria lucida

Simaroubaceae Brucea antidysenterica

Harrisonia abyssinica

Kirkia acuminata

Solanaceae Discopodium eremanthum

Discopodium penninervium

Solanum aculeastrum

Sterculiaceae Dombeya burgessiae

Dombeya kirkii

Dombeya rotundifolia

Dombeya torrida

Sterculia africana

100

Family Species

Sterculia quinqueloba

Sterculia rhynchocarpa

Sterculia stenocarpa

Tamaricaceae Tamarix aphylla

Tamarix nilotica

Thymelaeaceae Gnidia glauca

Gnidia subcordata

Thymelaeaceae Struthiola thomsonii

Tiliaceae Grewia bicolor

Grewia burttii

Grewia fallax

Grewia mollis

Grewia similis

Grewia tembensis

Grewia tenax

Grewia villosa

Sparrmannia ricinocarpa

Verbenaceae Clerodendrum myricoides

Lippia kituiensis

Premna hildebrandtii

Premna resinosa

Vitex doniana

Vitex mombassae

Vitaceae Cissus quadrangularis

Cissus rotundifolia

Rhoicissus revoilii

Rhoicissus tridentata

Forest & Landscape

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urban planning and urban

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FOREST & LANDSCAPE WORKING PAPERS 64 / 2011

Potential Natural Vegetation of Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia)

Volume 4

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